From Footman To Prince
by DaUglyChibi
Summary: AU Classical fairytale world. Gaara is to inherit the throne. The only problem is he must be a woman to do that! What will 'Princess' Gaara do? Be a lady or be himself? Fantasy Lee Gaara Lee Yaoi
1. Meet Princess Gaara!

Chapter one: Meet Princess Gaara

"This is…very uncomfortable." She said, or really I should say, he said. This was his first time riding a horse long distance, also his first time riding on anything in a dress. He had decided earlier that wearing a dress while walking around wasn't too inconvenient but when it came to doing almost anything else wearing a dress became quite troublesome.

'Why is our hero in a dress?' you may ask yourself. It's quite simple; he's the royal heir to the throne! But why must he wear a dress, why can't he be a dashing prince instead of a pretty princess? Well, that's because it has been foretold that if a male were to inherit the throne chaos would consume the kingdom. But our hero, whose name is Gaara-hime, by the way, must inherit the throne, even if he is a boy. Why? Well, stop asking so many questions! That's just how it is, okay? No, really there is a reason, which may very well be revealed later on.

He rode atop his horse, his head held high, trying to keep his composure. He looked and acted confident on the outside but on the inside he wasn't so sure of himself. 'What if they realize I'm not a woman and burn me alive? But that'd make things even worse… I can't worry about this, if I don't focus on keeping my balance I might just fall off this thing, and that'd be embarrassing.' He thought to himself, though his manliness was very well hidden. He wasn't very masculine to begin with, with that scrawny curvy body of his and his ultra pale skin. Plus he'd acquired from extreme insomnia those mysterious rings around his eyes; that made it look as though he was wearing very heavy eyeliner.

He wore a long loose dress, with a high neckline, and of course, fake breasts, which were really just some hay stuffed into his dress top. He wore a shirt under the hay, so that it wouldn't scratch his delicate skin. But it made it so that the weather, which was usually bearable, seem three times as hot. So he was nervous, uncomfortable, and sweating. Not a very good state for the new princess and heir to the thrown to be in right? Well, things were about to get even more complicated.

He'd been riding all day from 'his home kingdom,' which was just a cover up so that the townspeople didn't suspect him being their very own price from before, only now a cross dresser. When they'd found out he was the one to inherit the thrown, they sent him off to live with his great aunt. He was seven at the time, and he was now seventeen, it had been ten years since he'd last seen his kingdom's capital. The ten years with his great aunt had been utilized as a time to teach him all he would need to know. About being ruler and about being a woman. He still didn't quite understand all of it, but time had run out. He'd half to make do with the knowledge he had. Which he believed was enough, though he'd like to know more.

His older sister, who was a princess, but not an heir, was riding a little ways ahead of him. She signaled for him to move his horse up next to hers as the rode widened, they were getting closer to their destination now. He easily moved the horse to ride next to hers. He'd ridden many horses before, so he knew how to that. The thing he didn't know was how to balance atop of it like he'd seen royal women do before. 'Women must be skilled at many things men don't know how to do.' His aunt had once told him. And it was true. Things he would have learned as a prince were still taught to him, but he was also taught the arts of cooking, sewing, mending, and many more! He had to learn so many things that at one point he almost gave up. But he hadn't, and to this day, he still couldn't figure out why.

As his horse matched pace with his sister's she spoke to him. "Are you sure you don't want one more day of rest before we enter the capital? You look like you're about to drop dead." She said, in her uncaring sisterly tone that always made him feel somewhat normal. He had to admit; one of the only normal things about his life was how his older brother and sister treated him. With that hateful love only a sibling can know how to give.

"No I'm fine, I'm just having trouble getting used to riding this horse like a woman should. How do you do it with such ease?" He asked, sifting his weight on the horse for about the hundredth time. He just couldn't find a way to balance and be comfortable at the same time without sitting as a man would.

"I've had many more years than you, little brother, to practice." She said, looking sideways at him, a smile playing on her lips. "Or should I call you little sister now?" She barely stopped herself from snickering.

"Lord or master sounds more appropriate." He said, letting a small smile make its way onto his features. She laughed a little at this and he laughed a little inwardly in reply.

"Little sister it is, then." She said smiling and chuckling a bit. He just sighed a bit, knowing that masquerading as a girl was going to be harder that he first suspected.

They approached the grand city, well, as grand of a royal city there was. As in most cases, the castle was placed on a hilltop that over looked the prospering city. They were just entering the out skirts, so all that was there was farmland, but they could see the royal city clearly from where they rode. They'd probably reach the actual city by sunset. Gaara had let his horse fall back behind his sisters, and continued to struggle with staying upright on it. It was finally cooling down, so at least he wasn't sweating. He guessed it was a little past four in the afternoon. Only a couple of hours until they reached the castle! Then maybe he could rest his sore ass. He knew his ass would never feel the same way again, after riding like this for so long. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had become misshapen. But it hadn't, his ass was in fine condition… for now.

Traveling through the farmland gave him time to think about what he was to do first. When he entered the town, would trumpets sound? Would people gather round to stare at him, as if he was some kind of parade? How would this town react to its 'long lost heir'? Would he be shunned, accepted, praised? And as he passed by these farm houses, did they know who he was? Or did they just see him as a passerby, another traveler. Could anyone see him for who he really was? Was he doomed to play this charade for eternity, never to truly be himself? Or was this who he really was? A fake…

As he absentmindedly looked into the distance, past the city, past the castle, past the clouds, he frowned and his brow furrowed. If he came into town as himself, would anyone recognize him or remember him, a prince from ten years ago? Who to them, was proclaimed dead? Had anyone cared for him back then, not as a member of the royal family, but as himself? Who was this, the him from the past? Did anyone care for that boy? Would they now care for him as the young woman he was? He couldn't continue this train of thought at the moment; he was loosing his focus on the present, the reality. Right now he had to concentrate on being Gaara-hime, the new princess, and he had to remember not to fall off his horse. But what about the him from before, was that little boy lost forever to the void? Forever nameless? Because in this kingdom the young were not named until their personalities were apparent, usually around the age of eleven, give or take a few years. When the young prince had died, he had died nameless, so no one would probably even remember that prince. But they were sure to remember their newly proclaimed heir, Gaara-hime of the Sabaku family.

It was an ancient legend now, why the royal family was called by the name of the desert. A tale told to children, then to the children's children, and so on, passed down through the ages. It's said that long ago, this kingdom of green hills, forests, and swamps was all desert, covered in red hot sand and uninhabitable for the people of ancient times. So for the longest time, between the myth of creation and the tale of the last fallen planet, this land was isolated. As the story is told, one day a woman (Or a man, it depends on who's telling the myth) came to this abandoned stretch of land. It's said this person could control the earth itself. With a raise of their mighty right hand the sand lifted, hovered in mind air for a moment, and then vanished. At this point the story varies from city to city, person to person. The two main variations are told like either of these, though. One is as follows. Under the forsaken sand there lied fertile soil. The controller of the earth gathered people from nearby overpopulated cities and told them of the fertile soil, and how they could start a new kingdom there, if only they'd come along. The people, poor and tired of their horrible lifestyles, followed the great one to this land. There they started it all, planted things, made the place thrive with life. Soon after the area was livening up and they decided they needed a ruler the decision on who they wanted to rule was unanimous. They went to the great one, now calling him/her Sabaku or Elder Sabaku or Great Sabaku. For they knew that this place had been sand, and they knew that this person had somehow turned the sand into what it was now. They had worked a miracle on the desert, and that this land was somehow made into what it was now, thanks to this great one. Sabaku agreed to rule, and promised to be a benevolent ruler. Sabaku kept this promise, until the day they died, which was about 50 years later. Since then the descendents of Sabaku have ruled over this land. The other version is much shorter and goes as thus. Under the sand the kingdom emerged, forged by the great power possessed by the mighty one. And they proclaimed themselves king, as the people from all over came to live in this new kingdom, only knowing their king as king of the desert, as Sabaku.

Another part of the tale was added not a hundred years ago. An oracle came to the kingdom. This was new; one had never been there before. For oracles were only native to the land of Mounishire, the land farthest away from this one, known as Sabaku. So when the oracle came to Sabaku there was a great welcoming ceremony held by the ruler of that time, Kinihiperru. The land has always been ruled by both men and women; at this time it happened to be ruled by a woman. The oracle agreed to look into the future of Sabaku for a small price, since she had been welcomed so eagerly. The perpetrations were made, the price paid, the warnings given. All of Sabaku awaited the prediction on the day of the happening. The oracle, having done this quite a few times before, readied herself. She went into her trance, a few long moments passed, and then she spoke, her voice raw with power. 'When the day comes that a man should rule the kingdom once again, calamity shall strike. It'll be groundbreaking, only to be stopped by the least of the likely. Then and only then will his life be understood, but at a great price.' So the oracle said, falling to the ground only a moment later, awakening from the trance. Everyone was still, not knowing what to do. Finally the Queen, Kinihiperru, went to help her up. The oracle left that night, off to 'help' another kingdom. A lot of the people of Sabaku now believe that that prediction was a bunch of hogwash, and our hero, Gaara-hime, was one of those people.

None the less he couldn't help but remember these stories as they approached the town gates. He noticed that there was only one guard posted at the front entrance. Well, that must be because they were a peaceful country, and didn't really need many guards or firearms. They were a rich country so the neighboring kingdoms kept in favor with them for the great trade and the manners Sabaku was known for. He'd learned all this and more while studying with his great aunt. His sister arrived at the gate before him and announced who they were to the guard, even though the guard had seemed to recognize her instantly. He had to look twice at Gaara-hime, but he didn't question anything. They didn't sound trumpets, people didn't gather, nothing special happened because of his presence and he was kind of disappointed. He was later told that they didn't do anything for his immediate arrival because they had already planed a great feast for the next evening. But he was told all this after he arrived at the castle later that evening. For now he was trudging through the bustling town, disappointed and a bit heart broken.

He looked about himself at the different people, the different lives being lived around him. Our hero's hair is a crimson and cut short, by the way, just thought you'd like to know. He sort of envied the people, living there lives for themselves or for the ones they loved. He didn't get to choose how he wanted to live, destiny had chosen for him. So, glumly he continued onward, towards the castle, receiving sly glances and questioning eyes as his welcoming ceremony.

There was one more part to the myth that was written of earlier I forgot to mention. This part is often forgotten, since it was just recently added, about twenty-five years ago. A second oracle came to Sabaku, but wasn't greeted with much merriment. Though still treated kindly, since the people of Sabaku were hospitable by nature. This oracle wasn't presented to the Queen at that time, but only to one of the princesses, for the Queen was away on business. The oracle, being a humble old woman, very much experienced in fortune telling, did not charge a price to predict the future for this princess. The princess was still quite young, not even named yet, and at the age of twelve. The oracle told the girl, not with the air of an oracle, but with the air of a wise grandmother; 'I know of the prediction made, the one for this very kingdom. But there is something that young woman forgot to mention. The calamity shall fall, but it's not what everyone believes it to be. And all shall be righted by impossible love.' After this the old woman smiled at the young girl, who's mind did not register the importance of this comment until many years later. This part isn't usually told, since less than a half of the population actually believe it. But it is a part I should mention none the less.

Gaara-hime was becoming distracted by his inward struggle against his feelings and his duty. His sister moved farther and farther ahead of him towards the castle and was out of his sight before he had even realized that he was lagging behind. He kept going and didn't panic, thinking he could find his way. But soon he was in a bad part of town, where the roads became muddy with not just water and the people's polite smiles turned into sneers. He soon turned frantic, and while hastily trying to turn his horse about to go back the way they had come he toppled over, loosing his balance along with his serenity. He fell into the mud onto his hands and knees, not only ruining his crimson dress but also getting mud all over himself. He didn't expect help from any of these grungy people and started to get up himself, completely embarrassed. But before he could even begin to get to his feet he noticed a hand outstretched towards him. Was someone offering to help him up?

He looked up into the face of the kind green clad stranger, his own face covered in specs of mud and who knows what else. He hadn't remembered seeing this man in the area before; he'd remember this man, for he was a lot cleaner than the others. The man kept his hand held out and Gaara-hime finally remembered to give the stranger his hand. As the man easily pulled Gaara to his feet he smiled, and Gaara received his first true smile from a stranger. As thanks he gave him a small, mortified smile in return. He was still kicking himself for getting into this situation the first place.

"Thank you." He muttered through clenched teeth, trying his best to keep his feminine air. The stranger nodded in reply, letting go of his hand regretfully.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. Lee, I'm called, and I was sent to escort you to the castle. It's a pleasure meeting you." The stranger, Lee, said while bowing. He was quite tall, and pretty handsome, now that Gaara thought about it. He scolded himself for thinking that way about another man but then realized 'Am I not supposed to be a woman?' and continued to study the man he now knew to be Lee.

"Do you need some help?" Lee commented as Gaara looked at him. Realizing Lee meant help getting back onto the horse he nodded. Lee quickly, like a good footman should, lifted Gaara by the waist onto the horse. Lee must have immense strength; Gaara thought to himself, he lifted me with much ease.

"For some reason you seem very familiar to me. They have not told me of your name. I'd be honored if you'd inform me of it." Lee said, and Gaara noted his politeness.

"It's Gaara, Sabaku no Gaara." He stated, giving Lee another small smile, this one free of embarrassment, the dirt forgotten.

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Hey! Thank you for reading chapter one of my new story! This one should be a lot of fun. Sorry the first chapter was so long, I don't know if all the chapters will be like this. Huzzah for third person limited! I've been writing a lot in first person lately and decided this story should go back into the more oftenly used third person limited. Review please! It'd make me happy, and that's what keeps me writing, happiness.


	2. Further into the void called love

Chapter two: Further into the void called love

It was his first assignment since he'd been told he was to become the heir's footman. And he'd already failed. He felt bad, no horrible, and he felt like he had dishonored them all with his first screw up. He'd been assigned this position because they thought him to be dependable, honest, trustworthy, and especially quick on his feet. He'd failed them and his new princess as well. Her dress was ruined, her shoes left for dead in the slums, and her head specked with god knows what. She'd have to change, wash up, and probably redo all her make up. For, by her eyes, he believed her to wear a good amount of the stuff.

Though, under the fancy dress, the heavy eyeliner, and the newly crusted mud he thought he recognized someone. From when he was young, probably from the time he was still working as a stable boy. Or maybe he had become an apprentice knight by then. He couldn't remember any of it clearly. He just had a serious case of déjà vu whenever he looked into her jade eyes or glanced at her amazingly crimson hair. She was stunning, and this made him feel even worse about letting her down.

"I'm sorry." He said solemnly as he looked back at her. He was now leading her horse, which was still a little on the edge from the sudden jolt of events. As he paused the horse paused, and tried to turn its head towards the princess, too. Gaara-hime, Lee knew to call her now, looked at him with befuddlement in her entrancing eyes.

"What are you apologizing for? There is no need." She said simply, but her humble words were not an act. He could tell she truthfully didn't blame him, but he still felt bad about it.

"Well, I was supposed to greet you at the front gate and escort you from there, but I was late and got lost. And if I had been there to catch you, you wouldn't have ruined your lovely dress. Therefore, I'm apologizing." He said, and took a low bow. He didn't see her face but he heard her make a low sound of disapproval. He quickly turned his head up to face her as she gave him a slight glare.

"This," She used a graceful hand to indicate she was talking about her soiled dress, "is not your fault. My sister was with me; I just lost sight of her, and panicked. I'm glad you came when you did, you were a great help. But it is not your fault, so don't look so miserable." The princess needn't have even said the last part, for his spirits were already lightened when she told him he was 'a great help.' The last part just made him feel like he could fly to the moon and back, that is, if the princess asked him to. He gave her a toothy grin, scratching the back of his head as he looked away from her.

"Thank you, thank you very much, Gaara-hime." He said, and the princess almost scolded him for still being overly polite but stopped and just nodded in reply.

"Good, now get me to the castle, it's been a long day." She said with exasperation in her voice. He saluted her, forgetting he wasn't a knight anymore, but a footman.

"As you wish." He said, smiling once more at her before turning around to lead the horse onward towards the castle.

There was something about this princess, this woman that just sparked a fire in his heart. It felt as if he'd just finished a hundred laps around the outer parts of the town, which he did every Wednesday and Saturday. He felt light hearted, giddy, and accomplished all at the same time! Maybe this was his spring time of youth! His time to finally bloom, to shine and sparkle with his overflowing love! And his peers had accused him of being a queer. He could safely say now that he was indeed heterosexual, for he was in love with the princess! He knew this love could never be returned, but it was still a relief. For he himself had been doubting his sexual preference, especially on that night when he and another guard his age had almost… no, he was in love now. And with a woman, what a woman! It was a useless love, but he didn't mind. For he was her personal footman, and that was enough for him.

But what if they took away his position, now that he had proven unreliable from the start? Oh that would be too much to bear! He had liked being a knight; don't get him wrong, it had been his life long dream! But now he had an even more important job, and he had felt it was to become interesting in the future. But what if it stopped before it even began? If they threatened to take away his new position he'd do anything to change their minds. Beg, get on his hands and knees, grovel, and promise they could behead him if he ever failed her again. Because if he ever did prove false to her again a beheading might be too good for him.

To get his mind off the gruesome subject he decided to list some of the reasons he believed he was in love with the princess.

-Her captivating green eyes, finer than the finest of precious stones.

-Her short, fiery red hair made of stands softer to the touch than silk. (He didn't actually know how her hair felt; he was using his imagination, which was a wild one.)

-Her precise skills in applying that make up around her eyes. It was almost as if it wasn't make up, but actually apart of her skin, it was applied so well.

-Her unforgiving voice, the kind that could strike you down with a single word, but had also said the exact words that he needed to hear. The kind of voice that tells no lies, only the harsh truth and the unforgiving reality of things.

-Her amazing body! He didn't know much other than she had been incredibly light (this was ignoring the fact that he thought lifting 200 pounds was too easy for training) and she was built like most fair women, curvy, skinny, with ivory skin fit for a princess. Oh wait…

-Her… He didn't know much else about her. Her name! Lovelier than any birds singing, a name that rolled of the tongue with a sweet after taste.

-Her unassuming nature! She was kind, but a cold, truthful kind of kind. She hadn't scolded him or been cross with him because she had fallen in the mud. A lesser woman would definitely have blamed him, and might have even beaten him! For he'd never raise his hand to a lady, he would just bear the pain with an apologetic smile.

-What else was there? There were plenty of other reasons, he was sure of it; he just didn't know any of them yet. He would just have to make up some more; he wouldn't be satisfied until he had a list of at least fifty admirable qualities. And then he told himself he'd have to make an even longer one after he'd known the princess a longer amount of time.

-She was a wonderful cook, whose specialty was spicy foods, but could cook anything if she tried.

-She knew how to fight with precision that could out do a man's strength. She was light on her feet and could defend herself if needed. But would never need to, for he'd always be there to protect her.

-She walked with a grace that could not be matched, no mater how hard the other woman tried.

-She could move like a cat, in both daily life and if ever in battle. She also had the cold hard eyes of a feline about to strike.

-She was an excellent lover… He felt his face redden. Why would he think of that? A man should never think such things of his virgin princess. Wait, he did not know her to be a virgin. Could it be that her flower had already been plucked! No, impossible, he reassured himself. She was definitely innocent and pure. Not like his thoughts had been only moments ago. But this was just another reassurance of his heterosexuality; he'd never have to doubt himself again.

They were greeted at the castle gates by the elder royal sibling, Temari-san, who looked offhandedly worried about her younger sister. She'd never admit it, but under her hard glaring exterior she cared very deeply for her sibling. It wasn't overdramatic or very heartwarming at all, but awkwardly formal and nonchalant.

"I see I had no reason to worry, you were found by Lee-san." Temari-san said as her younger sister approached. Gaara-hime nodded in reply.

"He was an immense help, I am most thankful he found me almost right after I lost sight of you." She said, which made Lee feel proud and gave him that indescribable giddy feeling again. But Temari-san was not smiling as she glanced over Gaara-hime's dress.

"But I see you had enough time in-between to ruin that dress." Temari-san said coolly, and Lee was ashamed and embarrassed again.

"I'm sorry, it's all my-" he started to apologize but was quickly interrupted by Gaara-hime.

"I was not Lee's fault, and don't let him tell you otherwise. I fell off my horse, you know how that's been troubling me as of late, and he found me just in time to pick me out of the dirt." Lee was astonished at her ability to admit something like that without the least bit of embarrassment. Temari-san only sighed and shook her head disapprovingly at this. But Lee felt elated. Another reason why he loved Gaara-hime. He had the urge to break out into a musical number his feelings towards her were so strong right now. But he didn't, to the great disappointment of the author.

"Well, let's get you inside so you can wash up, change, and get some rest. We'll have your official presentation in the morning." Gaara-hime nodded again to her and then turned to face Lee, giving him a look that made it seem as if he was supposed to know what to do next. When Lee just gave her a blank look her eyes narrowed so slightly he thought that maybe it had not happened.

"Would you mind helping me down?" She said, her words polite enough but the way she had spat them at him! He immediately started, gave a fast 'yes, of course,' and went to place his hands around her hips so he could carefully get her down. His hands lingered unconsciously for a moment after he placed her in front of himself. He started to move his hands back to his sides when she reached out and grabbed one. He didn't know what she was doing for a moment, but after a few seconds had passed he realized she was just supporting herself.

"Sorry," she mumbled through tight lips, "I think my thighs have gone numb." She said, more to herself than to Lee, who stood there diligently, supporting her.

"Would you like me to carry you?" Lee offered without even thinking. It was in his nature to offer any help that he could give. But he realized that Gaara-hime might take offense to his offer to help.

"No, that won't be necessary." She said in her icy, melodic voice. But as she tried to walk away from Lee's support to show she could make it on her own, she stumbled and would've fallen. But Lee's almost mind-numbingly fast reflexes kicked in before that could happen.

"Please let me at least escort you there, you do not have protective footwear and your legs are numb from the long journey. It's the least I could do." Lee said, practicing all he had learned before given this job. He had been told that being so close to the princess would cost him any informality. He cast that aside with ease but the words were still not familiar to his lips.

"Fine." She retorted, as if it caused her pain to accept help from others. Lee didn't mind, just another reason to love her in his book. She didn't hide anything, especially her feelings. Lee held out his arm like a gentleman should for a lady and Gaara-hime grabbed it, steadying herself. Since Gaara-hime insisted on not being carried Lee respected her wishes and denied his instincts to carry her to her private chambers.

They walked slowly, Temari-san already back up at the castle ordering the servants to ready a bath and new clothes for the princess. Gaara-hime walked with more ease against him the more they walked. He realized that her walking was actually better for her legs than just being carried. This way the numbness would leave her thighs faster. Gaara-hime must have already thought of this, so Lee made a note to himself on her high intelligence.

By the time they reached the main castle door that lead into the main hallway Gaara-hime could almost walk on her own again. Lee grew sad because she was so strong that she wouldn't need his support anymore. Yet, it was just another admirable quality in his book. He had weird preferences in women, and Gaara-hime happened to meet most if not all of them. He had never been gay, just never met the right woman until now. And he was happy just serving her diligently until the day he died.

"Lee," she said in a harsh whisper which caught his attention. He saw that the only reason she had whispered, though, was because she was short of breath. He looked down at her as she looked up at him, their bodies continued to move forward without them. "Why are you smiling?"

He was smiling? He hadn't even realized it. He guessed that being around the princess just made him smile naturally. "Don't know, being around you just makes me smile." He said, innocently enough, but Gaara-hime seemed to ponder the words over again in her head.

When they got to Gaara-hime's room she could stand, not very steadily but nonetheless, on her own. Lee smiled another wide grin, and checked to make sure everyone was preparing things for the princess in her room.

"Well, here's your room." He motioned to the open double doors full of people running around like chickens with their heads cut off making sure everything was good enough for the princess. He could've sworn he heard a small sigh emit from Gaara-hime's lips.

"Thank you." She said again, the words themselves were all Lee would ever need to live. They were his elixir for everlasting life.

"Not a problem, it's a pleasure severing you, Gaara-hime." He said bowing, then turning to make his leave. The princess needed to bathe and get some rest, but he still felt a pang of sadness when he left her side.

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Hey! Here's chapter two, finally! This one's geared more towards Lee, which is more fun for me to write, but more of a challenge. Esepecially when I'm sad and it'd be much easier for me to just write Gaara's emo POV all the time. But with this story I hope to have the POV switch off each chapter, so every chapter can be written differently and can still be exciting and nice to read.

Thank yous to Black Light Princess and Jadeile! My only two fans for this fanfiction right now! This chapter's for you guys. Without people watching for updates I get lazy and don't update. Dx So thanks for the support.


	3. Things that come with being a princess

Chapter 3: The things that come with being a princess.

He awoke the next morning feeling outside of himself. He didn't feel like he was connected to the physical realm, like he was no longer needed in reality. His mind drifted pleasantly over thoughts that didn't exist and he was no longer burdened with the weight of human flesh. When he finally did decide to stretch out his physical limbs he noticed that this feeling had been caused by his unusually pleasant slumber. 'Weird,' he thought to himself 'I haven't slept that undisturbed since I was a small child.' He shrugged as he sat up in his bed and decided it was just the comfort of actually being 'home.' Though he didn't think the feeling of comfort would last very long, only while he was still ignorant and treated as a child. That'd all stop today when he was presented at the royal court.

He looked around his room for the first time in the light of day. It was overly spacious and a waste. But he couldn't complain, the privacy of this room was a redeeming quality. Plus it was decorated in shades of crimson, a favorite of his. He made his way to the end of the large four-post bed. It was a feminine bed, with a canopy top and light red transparent fabric hanging down on all four sides. As he sat on the edge of his bed he looked down to inspect himself. He was still rather girly looking, even without the dress and homemade fake breasts. He'd have to remind Temari to think of a different idea, the thought of wearing hay in his shirt again made him itch. He fingered the lacy undergarment he had to wear with disdain. It was vastly different from the baggy pants he got to wear to sleep back at his aunts. And it wasn't very comfortable or maneuverable. He sighed, posing as a woman was harder than he had anticipated. The clothes were the biggest problem, and he wondered why women put themselves through such torture.

With that thought still stinging his mind he walked over to his armoire. He glanced over the intricate designs craved into the superb redwood. He didn't need something like this, but since he was the royal heir he was given the best of the best. It made him sigh once again. All of these things looked rather expensive, and even though this kingdom was a rich flourishing one he couldn't help but feel bad for having so many nice things he couldn't appreciate. Maybe if he had actually been a woman he'd understand the need for all of these things. Pushing that thought aside and getting on with what he needed to do he opened the armoire and looked inside. He almost sighed again but kept it to himself. There were maybe ten evening gowns, all of them the best of the best. The colors rich and pure, the patterns magnificent, the embroidery in glistening silver and gold. Knowing he'd be shown off in front of superiors he chose one of the dresses he thought would look best on him. The sleeves and hem were a dark golden yellow; the main color was a dark crimson with silver embroidery. It looked like it was a perfect fit, too. He was treated too well, he wasn't used to it and it scared him how much people cared for him now.

When he had first entered this world he was treated as the bastard son of the queen he was. His mother was killed after he was born, for it was illegal to kill a pregnant woman in this land. They had known he wasn't the king's child the instant they found out his mother was pregnant. She had given birth to two of the king's children already, his brother Kankuro and his sister Temari. But a night of weakness when the king was absent had sealed his mother's fate. His real father was still unknown to this day, and no one would probably ever know who had conceived him. This didn't bother him too much anymore but earlier in his life it had really bothered him. After his mother was killed the king refused to marry, saying he didn't trust anyone anymore. But really he missed his wife dearly, which was probably why Gaara wasn't killed or exiled. He was told he resembled his mother, and from the tapestries he saw of her he believed it. But this only made him feel worse; he looked like the woman who had died for his existence. And during his childhood his siblings had hated him for it, his father had sealed himself off and the servants were scared of what would happen to them if they helped him. All because of his birth. He had ruined so many people's easy lives with his birth. He hated himself at first for it, and then he hated everyone else. Now he was out of hate, tired of depression. He'd do what he'd have to for his kingdom, he'd live for them, and that would justify his existence. There was also the fact that he had…

His childhood had been one of great suffering and depression. Everyone had treated him like a leper, but there had been one person who had accepted him for what he was. One person who treated him like a normal little boy, who had been a stable boy, a knight in training. He couldn't remember his face, however. Couldn't remember his name, his voice, anything about the boy, no matter how hard he tried. All he knew about the boy was that he had treated Gaara normally when no one else would. He had challenged Gaara to a sparring match, and that is what started their friendship. Gaara had beaten him with ease but the boy insisted on them meeting and fighting again and again. One day, about a month before Gaara left to begin his training, the boy had beaten him. The boy had been so ecstatic when he finally won. The smile on the boy's face, just the smile, was all Gaara could remember of him. The boy hadn't been a sore winner, and had helped Gaara up after giving him that smile. He had never told the boy he was leaving, and hadn't said goodbye to him before he left. He wondered if the boy still lived here, if he did he was probably a knight by now. Maybe one of these days he'd see the knight and remember him. But even if that ever happened, the knight wouldn't remember him, and he couldn't befriend the knight again. He had been a boy then, and now he was a woman.

He shook his head out of the memories and focused on the present again. He was getting ready, right. Should he shower? Maybe not, he had just taken one last night. But what was he supposed to do about his 'woman parts?' Temari wasn't here to help him out. Then he remembered that Temari had told him to contact the knight posted outside his door in the morning. He'd tell the knight to go get his sister. He held the dress to his body so that he was covered. He slowly opened his door, poking his head out to look for the knight that was supposed to be there. He saw the knight sitting with his back against the wall, gazing off into the distance. It was the same knight from last night, that Lee fellow.

"Lee." He said in a loud whisper. This immediately caught the young knights attention. He looked at Gaara, flustered for a moment, then standing at attention an instant later.

"Your highness." He quickly bowed. "What can I do for you?" He said, as he stood upright again. He was very obedient, but Gaara could tell he was also strong willed, two features that probably clashed often.

"I'd like you to go fetch my sister. I'm in need of her assistance." This was when Lee noticed Gaara's lack of clothing and his face turned a light shade of red.

"Must it be your sister?" He asked, knowing Temari would probably be busy. Gaara simply nodded. "I'll bring her here at once, then."

As the knight, Lee, left Gaara turned back into his room and closed the door. He walked over to his bed and carefully laid the dress down on it. He decided he could wash his face and brush his hair while he awaited his sister's arrival. He went into his bathroom, to the small basin on a counter with a mirror attached to it. He cupped some of the water into his hands and began to wash his face. When he was finished he opened the drawer attached to the underside of the table and grabbed the brush. Since he kept his hair pretty short he didn't have to spend too much time on it. The sides only reached his shoulders, short for a girl but long for a boy. He sighed as he looked into the mirror at his reflection. He barely recognized himself, he was so feminine. Well, it's a good thing, since he's supposed to be someone else. He was also thankful he had little to no facial hair; something he assumed he inherited from his father's side of the family, since Kankuro and the king had facial hair. Kankuro kept his face clean-shaven, though. He decided it was for the better since Kankuro's war paint would look weird with facial hair.

Just as he was getting restless Temari opened his door without knocking and let herself in. Gaara walked into the bedroom and as Temari saw him she just smiled.

"You look just like the little sister I always wanted." She sneered mockingly.

"Well, aren't you happy you have your little sister now?" He said, giving her an echo of her own disrespectful voice. She laughed a little at this. "Now help your little sister with her fake breasts." Temari let out a hearty laugh at this and Gaara smiled a little himself.

"What's wrong with how we did it yesterday?" Temari asked, not realizing how troublesome it was to have to wear that.

"First off the hay from yesterday was thrown out, remember?" He paused as she gave him an 'Oh yeah' look. "Secondly, I don't like that idea. It scratches my skin and leaves it enflamed and itchy." She sighed and placed a hand on her hip.

"So what do you suggest we do? Have any better ideas?" She retorted, but he didn't know how to respond. He'd been hoping she'd have some ideas.

"I don't know. What else could we do?" He looked at her, and then gazed off into the distance, trying to think. They sat there thinking for maybe three minutes in silence.

"Hrm…" Temari said to herself quietly. Then an idea struck her. "Hey, tell me what you think of this idea." Gaara looked at her, as she made sure she had his attention. "We use strips of cloth to secure a couple balls of cotton to your chest." He let the thought go completely through his head. It seemed a good solution to the problem at hand.

"But where will we get the cloth and cotton?" He asked, knowing she'd have already thought of this before she suggested the idea.

"Don't worry, I'll go get the supplies from the sewing room. Just wait here, I'll be back. Then you can get ready for your audience with the other important figures in Sabaku." She left out of the heavy double doors and the shut with a loud boom. At least with this idea he could move freely. The hay idea had been a half-baked idea and he was glad they had tossed it.

He went to sit of the edge of his bed, rubbing the material absentmindedly. This was all happening so fast it felt like it wasn't happening at all. He was a woman; he had to get that through his head. Even though his body said otherwise, he was supposed to be a female now. What was he going to do now? Not now, the present, now the future. Would he have to stay asexual? Marriage was a no, since his secret would get out if he did that. If he married a woman it's be weird for the kingdom and if he married a man it'd become complicated for the man. No, sexual desires must be put aside if he is to live like this for his kingdom. He had never felt desire before, why would it start now, anyway?

Temari came back with lighting speed. And his heart skipped a beat as she ran into the room and the door slammed shut behind her. "Okay, I got the material. But we have to hurry! I did not realize how late it was. You are to meet with the others within the half hour!" Gaara jolted up at this and they swiftly began their work. Gaara took off the small lacey gown, which left him in only his small under shorts. He held the cotton in place as Temari skillfully wrapped the extra long strip of cloth around his scrawny torso. She made a small but stable tie in the back to keep it in place and then moved backwards, to inspect her work. She nodded and quickly grabbed the dress off the bed. Gaara put the under gown on again as Temari headed over to him with the dress. They got it on him with speed and precision, but the were still careful with the beautiful, fragile thing.

"Go check it in the mirror and make sure it's to your liking. Brush your hair again, too, just to be sure." Temari said in her cool, calm voice. A voice that could order anyone to do anything, Gaara suspected. This made him wonder for a moment as he headed to the bathroom why she didn't have a man yet. She either hadn't found one worthy of her yet or didn't believe she needed one, because she certainly could get any of the men here with just a word.

He glanced at his reflection as he grabbed the brush again. He paused for a moment, to look back up at his reflection. He looked… like the perfect woman, the perfect princess. This made him smile a bit. 'I look better than a lot of actual women,' he though confidently to himself. He finished brushing his hair and went to Temari, who was already at the door waiting.

"I make a pretty good woman, don't I?" He asked aloud, not really expecting an answer.

"You're a little too feminine if you ask me. It's kind of scary, knowing you're my little brother and not my little sister. Sometimes I have to convince myself that you were not born a female." They might have shared a laugh at this but she was serious, and telling him the truth. This freaked him out, knowing it was hard for his own sister to identify his gender. It was a reassuring and scary though. This meant his chance of being found out were slim to none, but it also meant he was loosing himself. He didn't feel like he was what he was supposed to be. Who was he supposed to be? Sabaku no Gaara, the heir to the throne, or the nameless, bastard son of the executed queen? Neither of these titles suited him, and yet they were both apart of him.

Temari grabbed his wrist while he was drifting through the thoughts in his head and practically dragged him to the double doors. "Let's go, I'll have Lee take you to the grand meeting room while I go make the final preparations. You're going to be on your own, but I'm sure you can handle it." She said, giving him a sisterly nudge on the shoulder as she opened one of the doors. Lee was standing outside of the door, ever ready to serve his princess.

"Good morning Temari-san, Gaara-hime." He said, nodding his upper half in a small bow to each of them.

"Good morning to you, too. Lee-san, I need you to escort the princess to the main meeting hall, alright?" Lee nodded diligently.

"Yosh! I shall protect the princess from any potential dangers." He said, a confident gleam in his eyes.

"I don't think there's any 'dangers' here in the castle, other than getting lost. But whatever, just make it there in time. I'll meet you two there, okay?" She was about to turn around and leave but changed her mind and continued to give Lee a few more orders. "Oh, and Lee-san, on your way to the meeting room point out a few of the key places in the palace for the princess, okay?" Lee nodded and Temari finally smiled and left to do what had to be done. Gaara turned to Lee.

"So, shall we get going?" Lee asked politely, smiling. Gaara nodded. "I'll do my best to guide you through all this, but I must admit, this castle is a bit confusing, I get lost in it myself and I've lived here all my life!" He said, making Gaara feel a little better about the situation. He couldn't say what exactly it was, but something about Lee excited and calmed him at the same time. Like they were old friends.

Lee pointed out main rooms along the way, keeping a steady pace through the maze that was Gaara's new home. When they finally did reach the room they were heading towards Gaara's head was spinning from all the knowledge he was trying to retain. It'd take him a long while to get used to this castle, he realized. He couldn't remember any of it from when he was a child. Not to mention how much they had changed and added on since then. Well, as long as Lee was there to teach him, he could eventually learn the ins and outs of the castle.

He approached the tall, heavy door that led into the meeting room. Lee opened if for him and he stepped inside. He was looking into the stone hard faces of about fifteen men and women, Temari lost somewhere among them. He gulped as all their eyes met with his. Just as he though he was about to start shaking he felt Lee close the door and come up behind him. Sensing his fear, Lee whispered some reassuring words so softly that Gaara knew he was the only one who could have heard them. "Don't worry, they're nicer than they looked. Just don't freak out, they don't like people who break under pressure." Lee had barely moved his lips so that the others in the room wouldn't know he was helping Gaara. But the words, and the voice, calmed him, gave him hope. Gaara smiled and faced the people who would make or break his future. As he sat in a tall chair at the end of the long table he didn't feel as nervous as he though he should have. With such a diligent guard as Lee by his side what right did he have to be scared of a few old men?

**XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX**

Hey yo, since I'm sick and all I can do is type I finally typed up this chapter! I actually finished it last night but as most of you already know the site was down. But whatever, here's your new chapter! I'd like to thank **xXdragonXdreamerXx, Black Light Princess, ligice76, **and** Jadeile **for reviewing! Reviewing keeps my stories alive! I'd also like to thank the people who are currently watching the story, but haven't reviewed. You guys are awesome, too. Maybe since I'm so sick and the only thing that doesn't hurt is typing I'll type up the next chapter, too! The next chapter's in a neto new format so watch out for that. I'm glad people actually like this story. Thank you so much, to everyone who reads this! I really love this story, myself. I love men in dresses, especially pretty princess dresses. I'll say thank you again, because I can... THANK YOU!

**Note:** I rarely actually read my stories over again after I type them up. I used to have a beta but my e-mail's down. So if you find any mistakes, please tell me! I'll fix them.


	4. Memories are hard to recall

Chapter 4: Memories are hard to recall

_Royal document 1: Sir Rock Lee, Official Knight. The fifth day of March, first day of royal protection request, second day if counting day of arrival._

_A new way of record keeping is being applied. I, amongst several others, am the first to try this new type of documentation. Our resources are limited, since only the literate can participate in this experiment. This manuscript will be kept along with others like it for future references. Nothing practiced, just daily happenings that occur while I am on duty. Today being the day of Princess Gaara's first meeting with the others I thought it appropriate to start my writings on this day. I am to accompany her to the meeting, so I shall record what goes on during that occurrence. _

He had written those words earlier in the day, but now the day was already over. And he still hadn't gotten back to writing about his day's adventures. The words were nice enough, the parchment in fine condition. But for some reason it felt wrong. Because after experiencing the events that had happened today he felt like these words were distant and untouchable. A different person had written these words. He had changed since that morning, not substantially but just enough. It was more of a realization than a transformation.

Earlier in the day he had gone to the meeting with Gaara-hime, as the paper indicated. The meeting had gone well enough. The other people of power weren't ecstatic when Gaara-hime arrived but they didn't seem to dislike her as much as he thought they would have. In fact, they almost seemed to have a strange interest in her.

Gaara-hime had been shaky at first, not knowing what to do. Lee could relate, he'd gone through a similar process when he had first become an official knight. So he encouraged her, for he felt it the right thing to do. It worked, for Gaara-hime stopped looking so nervous and sat in her place with her head held high and her body screaming 'confidence.' Lee stood behind her chair, as any good knight would to guard his princess.

The meeting was the usual questioning process they inflicted on newer members of the powerful royal community. He experienced a few in his knightly duties, but with other knights, not these people. These were the people who helped to watch over Sabaku, people with either great power or large amounts of money. Every so often you found someone who possessed both qualities, but they were twice as proud and untouchable. They were also some of the most brutal members of the court. But their ill demeanor hadn't gotten Gaara-hime down, no, she actually seemed willing to rise up to the challenge of defeating these arrogant aristocrats. He had checked off another mark in his ever-growing mental list of reasons why he loved Gaara-hime.

He sighed and looked down at the document he was supposed to be working on. It didn't feel right, writing about the events. They seemed too personal and life altering. They might not have been life altering to anyone else, but he believed that this was a matter of the utmost importance. The occurrences had been just a little too bizarre and shocking to be ignored.

The meeting ended in good humor, on all accounts. There had been a rough part in the middle, when the court members had questioned Gaara-hime about where she had been taught. At first it had seemed as if Gaara-hime had been caught and didn't have an answer. But after only a moments hesitation she gave a reassuring answered in a calm and cool voice. Soon she had won favor with even the servants who were there delivering food and such. Though she never really smiled, well, not like the smile she had given him when they had had their first encounter. He hadn't seen her smile like that since, not even to her own sister.

Afterward he had escorted Gaara-hime back to her bedroom, this time taking a different route so he could show her more of the castle. He had told himself he should draw her out a map, even though he wasn't much of an artist. Remembering this he moved away from his desk to grab a new sheet of parchment on which to draw a basic map of the castle. He started to work on the map, though he was only half focusing, his head to full to think clearly.

After taking Gaara-hime back to her room he had stood outside her door, which was his unofficial post. A few minutes later the door slowly moved open, Gaara-hime stepping out in short brown pants and a long sleeve brown shirt. Peasant's clothes.

"If you don't mind telling me, why are you dressed in that?" He had said, looking her up and down in bewilderment.

"I'd like to hone my skills a little, by at least working out for a while." Gaara-hime turned to him. "But what I'd really like to do is spar."

This took Lee by surprise. He had imagined her a strong woman, but not one who was used to training and sparring. He was more excited than he could put words to; he loved a well-disciplined individual. But just as soon as he realized this was the princess he was thinking of, his ideas vanished. He couldn't spar with the princess! He couldn't let her strain herself either. What would Temari-san say? And Kankuro-san would have his head if he ever laid a finger on his little sister, Lee could feel it in his bones.

"But, Gaara-hime, is it alright? I mean, does Temari-san know? Are you sure you want to go outside? It's still hot out, especially at this time in the day. And you don't want to get hurt or strain yourself…" Before Lee could finish listing off his woes Gaara-hime interrupted him.

"I'm fine with it. If I am to rule over a kingdom I should be well trained in the arts of combat, shouldn't I? And we'll ask Temari before we go out, and I'm sure she's fine with it. As long as we stay inside the palace walls. Now, will you guide me or should I find the way myself?" Gaara-hime sternly replied to his worries, turning away as if to leave down the wrong corridor. Lee would definitely have to give Gaara-hime this map as soon as possible.

"Gaara-hime, I'll take you to Temari-san. But please turn around, that is the wrong corridor." He said nervously, looking towards the right direction.

"Oh." She simply said, a little bit of embarrassment in her voice. She turned towards the right direction, now standing next to Lee. She was rather tall for a woman, only about half a foot shorter than himself, which was tall considering most women where at least a foot shorter than him. The only woman he knew to be taller than this princess for sure was Temari-san, who was a very tall woman. It must have run in the family.

Coming back into the reality of the moment he took a few steps in the right direction. Once he was sure of Gaara-hime's soft footsteps following him he continued at a steady pace to Temari-san's quarters.

It was peculiar, the way Temari-san could have ruled the kingdom but had refused the crown. She insisted on it going to her distant relative, Gaara-hime. Lee still wasn't sure of how they were related, technically. Everyone just called them sisters, since it was easiest. Kankuro-san had assumed the position that most of the princes got now-a-days, head of combat and delegations with opposing countries. But since Sabaku was a peaceful place all Kankuro-san really did was go to neighboring countries every so often to make sure they were still on our side, or to get information about distant countries. He should arrive back at the castle any day now, from one of these said journeys.

They walked in silence, but not an uncomfortable one. They both seemed to have a lot on their minds and just enjoyed each other's company. Lee was the one to break the silence.

"Where did you find those clothes?" He asked her, for he was curious. He didn't think a Princess would usually have a set of clothes like that in their room. He had definitely not expected to ever see a princess actually wear something like that. But it was nice, to see her plainly. She looked even better without all the gaudy clothes and accessories.

"I simply asked one of the servants. They gave me a questioning glance but didn't disrespect my request." She said, and to him, her voice was like music. A low alto, in a soft harmony.

"So you've been waiting to train since you got here?" He asked, for she hadn't talked to any servants since the night before.

"Yes, sitting on a horse for a day will make your legs knot up and your entire body feel stiff." She rubbed her shoulder as she said this. "Plus I used to practice combat at least once every two days for hours on end."

"Wow, sounds like you had a pretty exciting life before you came here." He said, almost envying her. He had yet to venture out of the country.

"No, not really." She said, her voice distant. This made him tongue-tied for a moment. Her voice hit a sweet sad note when she said that, it left him awe struck. She was amazing! Modest, beautiful, strong, just everything he could imagine and more!

"So…what kind of sparing did you do there?" He asked, not wanting her to stop talking to him. Her voice was seductively sweet and charming.

"Oh, I didn't really spar while I was there… I used to practice against things, no one was there for me to spar with." She said, her voice heavy with memories untold.

"Then you've never sparred before?" He inquired. He couldn't imagine life without sparring or training, a life with no practice in combat was like a living life without legs!

"No, I sparred when I was younger. I was living someplace else then. I sparred often until I was about eight, that's when I went to the place where I now come here from." Her words confused him for a moment, and it felt like there was something she would not reveal to him, some deep secret she was hiding. The feeling passed quickly, though, and he continued his questions.

"So, where is it you actually come from, originally?" He asked, but his question remained unanswered for they had reached Temari-san's living quarters. "Never mind." Lee said softly as he knocked on the great, dark wooden door that guarded Temari-san. In the uncomfortable moment of silence Lee felt the need to announce something.

"Temari-san? It's me, Sir Lee, and her Royal Highness, Gaara-hime. Are you there?" He heard an inaudible muffled reply that caused his questioning to stop for a moment.

"What is it?" He asked, for he hadn't made out any of the words she had said.

"Just a moment!" Her voice rang loudly through the doors. She sounded very irritable and not in the mood to see her younger sibling, the royal princess, in rags. His visage turned into that of someone taking immense reconsideration of his situation.

"Uh, Gaara-hime, are you sure about this?" He said quickly, before Temari-san could come out to see them, and maybe to contemplate killing him.

"Sure? About wanting to get some practice in? I am quite sure about wanting that." She said, and then noticing his worried look at Temari's door, she added, "Don't worry, if she gets angered I'll take the fall."

"No Gaara-hime! You can't do that, if she starts to shout you should go back to your room as fast as your legs will carry you." He wouldn't let her get in Temari-san's range of fire if she was irritated. Everyone knew what Temari-san was capable of when she was livid.

"I assure you, my legs could carry me fast enough to out run most wild beasts. But speed is nothing if you don't know where you are or where you're going." He'd forgotten, once again, that Gaara-hime was very new to the castle.

This remembrance brought him back to the present and he noticed that the parchment he was supposed to be drawing a map for Gaara-hime on he'd drawn a bunch of doodles of her face. They were horrible comparisons to her beauty and he quickly scratched them out. He grabbed a new piece of parchment and began to draw the map, but once again his memories began to poke at his consciousness.

After Temari-san had shook her head in dismay and sent them off they had gone to the training grounds at the back of the castle. The land level with the castle on those particular grounds was small, but the practice area itself went halfway down the hill. It might have been at an angle, but Lee liked a challenge, and he hoped Gaara-hime would find the area to her liking.

"So, how would you like to begin? I usually start with stretching, which I think you should, too." Lee said as he took off the shirt he wore over his chain mail. Most knights took off their protective chains when they practiced or sparred but not him. He though the added weight of the chain mail was apart of the physical training itself.

"Yes, I believe we should stretch first." She replied absentmindedly. She was distracted or troubled, by what Lee could only take a wild guess at. But he decided not to ask her about it, for it didn't seem too dire.

He started with sidelong lunges, stretching his arms over his head in the direction of his outstretched leg to further the amount muscles used. She started with a hand on her shoulder with her arms doing a circular motion up and downwards. They continued with basic stretches until both decided they wouldn't pull any muscles.

"Would you like to practice with the equipment now, Gaara-hime?" He asked, making his way to the shed where the knights stored the dummies and such.

"No, I think I'd just like to spar with you." She said, and as he turned to her he spotted an amused smile dancing upon her lips. He just stared at her another moment, agape. She seriously wanted to spar with him? He couldn't allow it! He wouldn't agree to it! He was supposed to protect the princess, not try and cause her harm!

"But, Princess, I don't think that's a good idea. And I couldn't, I wouldn't, want to ever harm you." He said, but her devious smile just widened.

"Don't worry, you wouldn't harm me, I'm sure of it." She said this in an almost cocky manner. Like she was begging for a challenge; or insulting Lee's skills in combat.

"Gaara-hime, how can you be so sure? Sparring is very dangerous, especially if both combatants are serious about the fight." Lee warned, though his pride was hurt a little. How could she insult his skill level? Or maybe she was just a very good fighter? But he was a great fighter, too! He was a knight, his skills had to be above par.

"Oh, I'm quite certain you wouldn't be able to harm me. I'd have to warn you of my skill, if anything." She said, her smile mocking him now. "Though you seem competent, I'm sure you wouldn't get hurt too badly." He was almost seething with visible rage by now, but he tried to calm himself down. How could the princess be this vulgar and insulting? It had to be a fake. Or she wasn't feeling well.

"…That is, if you aren't too frightened to fight me." When she added that, his rational thinking faltered. He was afraid of fighting a girl? Never! His pride got the better of him as he stepped towards her.

"I'm not afraid of anything, I assure you Princess." His masculine need to prove himself took over as the princess smiled turned from a taunting sneer to a look of great eagerness.

"All the better to teach you with," Gaara-hime started, and took position. Before Lee could even bat an eye at her comment she was up next to him, their bodies almost touching. "My dear," she added in a whisper to him, which, in it's own way, signaled the sparring to actually begin.

Gaara-hime jumped back from him and this time he was aware of all her moves as his senses heightened. She tried to catch him from behind but he met her presence as he turned himself to face and thrust a kick through the air at her. She dodged, and launched an attack of her own as she chopped at his side. He caught her strike with his forearm and slashed his other arm through the air at her shoulder. She also caught this strike with her forearm, and they stayed motionless for a moment before jumping back from each other. Neither one of them could think of anything but the others movements and how they would react to them. They were completely immersed in each other now.

Gaara made the next move, it seemed she was leading the battle and that bothered Lee, for all formalities were forgotten. She charged at him, and almost surprised him when she jumped high into the air, almost over him. Her leg came at his head and he caught her thigh right above her knee. It was her turn to be astonished as he flipped her over in midair by her leg. Their eyes met as she gracefully caught herself and landed. But before her hair fell back into place Lee caught a glimpse of a strangely familiar mark on the princess's forehead. He couldn't place it at the moment, but when he returned to the thought later on he realized what it was.

He didn't wait for her to make the next move; it was his turn to lead in this waltz of demise. He regretted it later, but at this moment in time he had not cared, for all he could do was think of the battle, think of the aggressive movements, and his body was practically moving on it's own. They were both driven by instinct and this is where their skill in combat would be declared.

Lee ran towards the spot where Gaara had landed, she was in the midst of getting back up and Lee took this opportunity to catch her off guard. Lee spun in a circle to give his leg even more force when he launched it at her side. She was quick to move away, but not quick even to match Lee's amazing speed. His foreleg made direct contact with her side, sending her back to the ground with face almost in the dirt. Since the land was at a downward angle she skid for a moment before coming to a stop.

This was when Lee's morals decided to come back to nag him to the brink of death. What had he just done? He ran to the princess and kneeled before her sprawled form. Her expression didn't seem to be in a state of pain, like he had expected, but instead showed only shock.

"Princess? Gaara-hime? Are you okay!" He almost yelled franticly. To his astonishment she sat up to face him before answering. She didn't say anything, Lee noticed this was because she had had the wind knocked out of her, but just stared at him for a moment, a more satisfied look in her eyes. He had expected pain, anger, immense surprise, hatred, anything but this and he didn't know how to react.

"Your Highness…?" He started, but didn't finish, for he couldn't finish. He didn't know what to do or say, and decided to just wait for her breath to come back to her. He was worried beyond comprehension and started to look at her for any signs of bleeding, outwardly or internally. His eyes reached hers as she took that sharp intake of breath that signified she was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief as she coughed from the sudden taste of almost forgotten oxygen. He leaned closer to her, in case she collapsed from the sudden harsh coughing fit. When it stopped he felt only sadness and self-loathing, he had caused this when all he wanted to do was protect her from things like this.

"Lee," She breathed out heavily, which directed his attention solely to her again.

"Yes, your Highness?" He said, tears welling in his eyes. He was one to cry easily.

"I'd almost forgotten how good it felt to fight a worthy opponent." She said, coughing at the end.

Being the dramatic person he was Lee was taken over by emotion and embraced the princess in a fierce hug. Clutching her to his chest, he declared to the heavens, "Gaara-hime please don't die!" with tears streaming his face. She only sighed in reply, but since she was so close to him this made his spine tremble in ways he hadn't experienced since that fateful night in the watchtower spoken of before.

"I'm fine, you dope." She said, playfully calling him names. He pulled away from her, his hands still steadily placed on her shoulders as her looked at her astounding features. He was in love with her all over again.

"Are you sure?" He asked, worry apparent in his wavering voice.

"Yes, I'm sure." She said, but as she tried to get up to show him that she was okay she winced in pain and clutched at her side. "I guess you got me better than I thought." She replied to the pain, giving him a weak quivering smile. It was too much for him and he brought her to himself once again.

"I'm so sorry, Princess! I'll understand if you never want to see me again, or despise me for all eternity. It's all my fault!" He wailed more to the sky than to Gaara-hime. She was the one to push away from him, as she looked straight into his eyes. No, past that, in to his very soul, she could peer within it with those eyes. Beautiful, pure crystal, and rimmed with the purest of blacks, they were. She looked at his tear sodden face and shook her head.

"No." She said, not loudly but with an undeniable air. "It is all right, everything's well. I guarantee you, this is more than I could've asked for." She smiled at him, one of those smiles, the ones she reserved for him and him alone. He felt a hundred times better instantly.

"For I realized, this is your second time defeating me." She said, a soft, sad smile upon her features. Before he had time to question her she whispered quietly to him. "You'll have to take me back to my room. I don't think my legs will carry me." She then fell into his arms, which caught him off guard and worried him for a moment. But he quickly heard her soft breathing, the slight lift and fall of her chest that symbolized light slumber. He then, very carefully, picked her up, her words racing through his head like a stampede of angry, territorial bulls. It had confused him then, but was brought into clarity now.

He took her to her bedchambers; luckily he didn't run into anyone on the way. He was hesitant to go into her room at first, for it wasn't proper! But he tossed that thought aside and replaced it with the thought of getting to see where she slept every night. He quietly opened her doors and crept into her room with the stealth of a ninja.

Her room was beautiful; the décor was of the highest quality and was dressed up in the most amazing shades of crimson. Her bed was large, with sheer red fabric hanging over the four large cherry wood posts. It took him quite sometime to remember exactly what he was doing in such an extravagant room. When the sleeping princess in his arms brought him back to reality he quietly made his way over to her bed. He parted the fabric, lifted back her bedspread, and gently laid her down upon her soft mattress. First he wondered what it would be like to wake up in a bed like that, or even sleep in a bed like that, which made him wonder what it would be like to sleep with that someone in this bed… He brought his hand to his nose to make sure it wasn't bleeding. Lucky for him, it wasn't sprouting blood just yet.

He looked back down at her, and upon seeing her soft lips he had the urge to taste them. He stood there for a moment, his head telling him to get out of there before he did something stupid but his heart, or his hormones, was keeping him in place. His heartbeat quickened as he kneeled beside her bed, their faces less than a foot apart. It wouldn't be his first kiss, again referencing to that fateful night of temptation, but it'd be his most cherished one, because he knew he'd probably never get this chance again. He leaned in a little more, their faces only a couple inches apart, his hand touching her arm. He put his other hand on the other side of her head to brace himself. And then he did it; he brought his lips to hers. He kissed the princess, a soft, sweet, light kiss, done in the golden light of the afternoon in the room of glimmering crimson. He pulled back to see the undisturbed princess's sleeping visage. It was a glorious moment, a stolen kiss from a princess; he felt an adrenaline rush and almost wanted to wake her to continue it further. But he didn't, and in a daze he pulled away from her, coming to his feet again. Before turning to leave he whispered almost inaudibly, "Sleep well, my beloved princess."

He looked back on the memory with ever growing fondness. But this didn't change the fact that he now had doubts about who the princess really was. Remembering it all again just brought everything into the light. The forehead mark, he now knew where he had seen it before. The young bastard son of the old queen. Well, he remembered it as 'The little boy with flaming red hair who was very good in combat.' He hadn't known the boy was a son of the dead queen until after he left, so many years ago. The boy had been his only friend, even though he never knew if the boy had considered him a friend. He had left without a word, before they were even old enough to have names. It had disturbed him for most of his early teenage years, the boy who vanished. Now, from what Lee could deduce, he had finally reappeared, as a beautiful woman. Lee was almost certain of it. He had always had a case of déjà vu when he saw Gaara-hime. This would explain everything, but the matter was, could Lee bring himself to believe the obvious but incomprehensible truth? Could Gaara really be that boy from so many years ago? Did Lee still prefer the company of men after all?

His mind still buzzing from all of his thoughts and speculations he looked down at the crude map he had made for Gaara-hime.

But he wasn't even sure if that's what he should call her anymore, of if should even be using female pronouns in reference to her, him, or whatever. Was Princess Gaara just an elaborate cross-dresser? Why was he the Princess?

Lee couldn't keep up with his thoughts and became frustrated with all the confusing things happening to him all of the sudden. If Gaara really was a boy, that boy, did Lee still love him? Yes, he decided, but it confused him beyond his own belief.

He rolled the parchment with the map of the castle on it and tied it shut with a simple string. He then saw the document on his table, the one where he was supposed to write all of this. And for once in his life, he didn't fulfill his knightly duties. He didn't want anyone to know anything about this, no one else would ever suspect a thing. But he knew, and he tried to deny that he knew, but he knew. And he had to keep it a secret; it was one more thing he knew that he wasn't supposed to know. The other thing... Well, he wouldn't think about it now, it'd just further his confusion.

_Well, the meeting went fine. As for the rest of my day, let's just say I took today off._

He added that to the parchment and stamped on his seal. He tied the parchment up with another piece of string and left it on the table next to the map for Gaara. Enough had already happened today, so he decided it was time for him to take a well-deserved rest. Everything else could wait until tomorrow, everyone else could wait. He'd wait to figure things out until tomorrow. Or the next day, or the day after that, who cares? He had enough time. Or so he told himself as he fell onto his bed into a deep, exhausted sleep.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, everyone, and I beg for your forgiveness with this extra long and spiffy chapter! I've been dead for quite some time, I know, and as I said, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened. I was in a big musical, yadda yadda school stuff blah! But I work extra hard on this chapter to try and make it up to you guys. I'm not gonna post all your username's in this chapter, but I'll get to it next time, you know who you are, you awesome people you! I just want to get this to ya'll as soon as possible! Which means I should probably stop typing and just post this already! First I have a few questions I need answered before I start on the next chapter, please answer if you can!

Are there any mistakes in this chapter? If so, please tell me how and where I goofed!

Are you guys and gals okay with this story being a lot longer than expected or should I keep it under 10 chapters?

Did I already explain about Gaara's forehead scar in this story? I have a story for it, but I can't remember if I already told you all or not. I have a though time remembering what I have and haven't done already.

Thank you and I'm sorry for this being so late! I love you all, anyone who is reading this now, you rock! This story is fun for me and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it, if not more!


	5. When you know what comes next

Chapter 5: When you know what comes next

He awoke suddenly, forgetting where he was and how he got there. Which is not unusual, seeing as someone else had put him there. He realized as soon as he opened his eyes where he was and that he was fine. Slowly, so slow that there was no shock or pain, reality eased into him. He sighed, as he was used to doing often by now. When had his life become so confusing? No, that was the wrong question; his life had always confused him. When was his life not a mess?

He thought about that question for a long moment before continuing. When had his life ever been easy? Would it ever become simple? When he was younger…? No, it had been complicated even back then. Even though he hadn't a true name he had a name. It had been 'bastard' in most cases. He didn't know his 'father' but the king acted like a father to him, once. But it hadn't been something he had thought a father should be for. The king had taught him, but not something like baseball or card tricks. He had told Gaara something once, after Gaara had learned some fighting techniques.

"Child, you know what your mother did, don't you?" He said quietly, with a certain deep unchanging sadness. He had nodded, for he had always known, ever since he'd acquired the skill to listen and comprehend, he had known. The king then nodded in reply to his nod, not wanting to continue just yet.

"Then you know why I suffer so." He said sadly, and for the first time he touched Gaara with no harmful intent. He placed his hand on the young boy's head, his thumb brushing away the hair on his forehead. "You resemble her so accurately." He mumbled, and then he placed his thumb over the mark on Gaara's forehead. The mark, it read 'love' in ancient forgotten calligraphy, hidden just under his hairline.

"Boy, do you know how you got this mark?" The king had a harsh truth to his voice the young Gaara had never heard before. He shook his small head under the great hand of the king. As a boy, before this moment, Gaara had never known why he had this mark on his forehead. He had never questioned it either, for he didn't think it was too abnormal, even though it was. He had only ever asked what it meant, and had been told that and nothing more. The servants he asked had gotten a sad look in their eyes when they saw the mark, but had never shunned him or his questions.

"Do you want me to tell you?" The king asked, looking the small child in the eye. The king's eyes were small, narrow, worn with age, power, and hard work accomplished. The young crimson haired boy nodded lightly. He didn't talk much, but he liked to listen. No one listened to him when he talked, but he heard what everyone else thought when he listened. For a long time the servants had thought the boy mute, but when asked if mute he had replied 'No,' and the servants had marveled at how little he talked but how much he knew. He was ready now to listen to the story, the only story the king would ever share with him.

"Well then, I'll tell you." He said as he moved his powerful hand off the boy's head. The king then sat cross-legged on the ground in front of the boy. He then motioned for the boy to come and sit next to him, leaning against the king's inner thigh. It was almost as big as the young Gaara himself, he was so small and the king so large. He sat there, and it was a father son perfect picture, but they weren't the father and the son, they just played their parts.

Once Gaara was settled next to him the king looked down at his imposter son, but not with any contempt. All that was left in the king was misery, the kind that never changes and never leaves. He started, his voice heavy with memory and significance. "Son," he didn't say this as if he was lying to Gaara, he was just saying it as a helpless pronoun, "It's not a nice story, why you have that mark there on your head." Gaara gave him a small nod. He's always speculated that it wasn't a good thing, nor a thing done out of a sane love.

"It started when your mother was pregnant with you. You know what that means, right?" He nodded again; he knew a lot of things. Like the fact that he was 'demon spawn,' and he came 'to destroy all of the people's easy lives.' He didn't know why they thought that about him, he never once ate a goat raw and bloody like the demons in the storybooks.

"Good, I'm glad you're learning things while you're young. Children these days don't know enough." He paused to look away for a moment. He looked down at the boy in his lap and remembered that he was telling a story. "Oh yes, well, as you also know, I am not your father. So your mother had locked herself in her room to hide from me. I begged her to come out, I tried to convince her that I wouldn't hurt her but she didn't believe me. She was in such a state of shock that she almost forgot to eat. Her maidservant was the only one who could still enter your mother's chambers and she brought her food. We were told that every so often though, your mother forgot how to eat, or tried to starve herself. Or you, we didn't know. She wasn't very stable and no one could make any sense of it. We tried our hardest to convince her that she was all right but she just kept repeating 'No, it's not all right; I'm not all right. He's not all right. This isn't all right!' and she'd point to her stomach, where you still resided. When she was in her final stages of pregnancy she got quieter, and ate without a fight. But on her final day she locked herself in her room and didn't let anyone or anything in. We thought for sure she was going to kill you or herself or both. Just when we were about to burst down the door with manpower she opened it up and came out. It was quite the sight, and I'm not sure if a child your age should hear this but I shall tell you anyway. She was covered by only a light white nightgown and at least a gallon of blood. It started at her breasts and trailed behind her, along with the umbilical cord. She held you in her arms, and at first we though your hair was blonde covered in blood. You weren't crying like most newborn babes so we assumed you were dead. But a maidservant checked and you were indeed alive. Later, when the maidservant washed you she found a scar craved into your delicate forehead, and she also found out that the color of blood would not wash from your hair. After your mother had handed you to the maidservant and she walked over to me. She didn't touch me, just came near me with her head hung low. She announced quietly 'I must be executed now,' and collapsed into the arms of the nearest knight. We again tried to talk sense into her, but she replied 'I've committed a horrible crime, if I'm not granted a proper execution I'll kill myself.' Knowing this was true, that she had indeed committed a very horrible crime that was punished with execution, we sentenced her to be executed. She smiled thanks at me before she died but I'll never forgive myself."

He looked down at the little boy, who looked at him with those eyes, her eyes, only pure. The boy listened, took in all this information, and looked up at the king, who was looking down at him. In this moment the king announced the final part of the story. "I love your mother, I loved her more than anything. You can blame me for her death and I could blame you. But it's not our fault, and it's not her fault." Tears glimmered quietly in the king's hard eyes. "No one's at fault. Don't live your life thinking it's your fault. Don't live like that. Live for you, you may not have a bright future ahead of you, or maybe you do. But never get caught blaming yourself. Never." He had finished, and the child knew he was done, but neither of them moved. Neither one knew what came next. Finally, the quiet boy stood by the sitting king, the king still taller sitting. The child moved slowly and deliberately. He put his arms around the king's neck and gave him what he knew to be a 'hug.' He'd never given or received one before, but he had seen other people do it. He had observed that it made people feel better and he wanted the king to feel better.

The king didn't know what to do; he knew how distant this boy usually was. As distant as the king himself had become over that past few years. He decided to return the small boy's embrace. They were at loss together, and it comforted both of them.

"I," the young Gaara started, he rarely said words and they tasted funny on his lips, "I love you," he waited another moment, the word didn't come easily, "father." The king lost his control at that and tightly held the boy to his chest. The child felt the king's tears on his shoulder, but he never told anyone about it. It was their secret.

"And you are my son." The king said as he let the small Gaara go. The boy quickly took in the breath he'd missed out on. The king gave the boy a smile, it was a sad smile, since that was all the king had left, but it was a smile none-the-less. The boy tried to smile in return, but he was never sure if his face actually made that shape. The king died a week later, and the boy was sad, but the tears never came. The boy has yet to cry.

This meeting was the nicest memory he had of the king, one of the nicest memories he had on a whole. It was a pleasant feeling, waking to such a pretty memory. But then he remembered why he had had this reminiscence.

Why was his life baffling? Why couldn't he figure it out? He sat up so he could cup his head with his hands. He leaned against the pillowed headboard of his bed with his hand in his hair. He gently let his hands fall to his side as he sighed again.

"Help me…" he moaned sarcastically, turning his head to one side. Through his sideways vision he saw his tilted door open and a tilted man by the name of Lee come in. It took him a moment to realize he'd said it aloud and he quickly tilted his head back to the upright position.

"Your Highness?" Lee stuttered out nervously. Gaara smiled at this, Lee was as smart as he had hoped. But even though he was moderately intelligent he was still too shy to admit he knew anything aloud. But he was as easy to read as a children's book, his face and actions giving everything away.

"No worries, Lee. At ease with you, soldier." He said, for Lee had become too stiff and tense. Lee then let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding and let his shoulders round off. He let out a sigh before looking back up at Gaara.

"Your Excellency? Did you need something?" Lee asked, still fretting over the reason why he'd let himself into Gaara's room.

"No, just reminiscing. Do you always stand outside my door?" He asked, for he was truly curious. Did he ever retire to his own quarters? Did he have his own quarters?

"Well, every waking moment I have to spare. Sometimes Temari-san has a quick errand for me to run in the morning before I come to stand watch. But other than that I try to stay as close to you as I can, Your Highness." Lee said, 'every waking moment' must've meant he slept at some point in time, so he must have living quarters. Gaara wondered what they were like compared to his.

"I've noticed that you haven't called me 'Princess' today, Lee." Gaara stated, smiling. He'd get Lee to admit himself even if he had to resort to ancient torture devices. Gaara knew that Lee had to have been the young boy, and he wanted to know what Lee thought about all of this. Since he had obviously figured out Gaara's part in his childhood sometime between last night and this morning.

"Well, that is, you know… I mean, Gaara-sama, you know, right?" Gaara just smiled at him, waiting for Lee to figure everything out. "It's true? That you're not really…" Lee couldn't manage the last part and looked up at Gaara for help.

"I'm not really what? A woman, a princess, the royal heir?" Gaara questioned Lee; he enjoyed seeing Lee struggle with it. Seeing people struggle was a sick pleasure he'd had for a long time now, and he tried to suppress the urge as much as possible. After a moment of amazed and embarrassed silence from Lee Gaara added "I assure you that I'm the royal heir." Gaara paused again, he couldn't fight it, Lee was just too _cute _when he was struggling. "The matter concerning my gender, well, you're on your own." Gaara continued to give Lee an amused smile as Lee stood there trying to calm his rapidly reddening face.

"And are you…?" He didn't continue for another long pause, still trying to regain at least a little composure. "Are you the boy from my past?" Gaara didn't give him an answer, he wanted to but for some reason he held his tongue. "The one who's constantly been at the edge of my consciousness for ten years now?" Gaara was now glad he hadn't said anything right away, this gave Gaara one more good look at Lee's true feelings.

"Yes, that is, if you're the young knight-in-training from my days as a boy?" Gaara questioned, even though the answer was obvious, he wanted to hear Lee say it. He wanted Lee to confirm it, so they could get past all the silly uncertainties.

"I," Lee started, looking at Gaara, helplessness flashing in his eyes, "I think so. I think that maybe I am." Lee looked absolutely delectable, innocent and unsure of himself, Gaara noted. But he stopped that train of thought before it pulled into the 'Wrong' station.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Gaara smiled at him, almost suggestively. "Take a seat, you're making me nervous." Gaara motioned to the bed, for the only chair in his room was the one in the bathroom. Lee looked both ways before moving towards the bed, like he was expecting to be ambushed if he got too close. He finally sat down on the edge of the bed farthest from Gaara.

"So," Lee finally stuttered out, "Why are you back here? I had finally accepted the fact that you were gone for good not too long ago." He stated this with sorrow, Gaara had meant more to the boy than he'd ever expected. Lee had meant a lot to Gaara back then, but he hadn't known that the feeling was mutual.

"Well, I'm back to take my place on the throne." Gaara stated simply.

"Then why did you leave in the first place?" Lee's voiced carried the essence of hurt.

"I had to, it was all planed out very quickly, a lot had to be done if I was to inherit the throne." Gaara had decided he'd answer all of Lee's questions straight on. Then maybe he could ask Lee some of his own questions.

"But why did you have to inherit the throne? Why you? Males aren't supposed to rule over Sabaku anyway. When your mother died they wouldn't even let her husband have any power, they let the high council control the land. Why you? Why break the way now?" Lee said this with palpable hurt in his voice. Gaara had been his only friend, and for the longest time he'd left him alone, to hurt on his own. Lee was hurt, and he wasn't very good at hiding his emotions or much anything else so it was noticeable. Lee was too honest for his own good.

Gaara sighed before answering, "I'm sorry." That answer alone satisfied Lee, but Gaara continued. He knew Lee deserved a full answer, but he wouldn't lay it all on him at once. "But I must be the next one to take the throne, I'll tell you the whole story later. It's too long, and I'm not in the mood to share it at this moment. But I promise you, it's a very just reason." Gaara added the last part, remembering the little knight-to-be proclaiming his love for youth and justice when they were younger.

Lee turned to face Gaara now, sitting cross-legged on his bed, boots and all. "I believe you, your majesty. Its just, hard to take in, hard to get used to the idea. Especially when I thought that I had fallen in love with you…Oh!" Lee caught himself, covering his mouth as if it'd take the words he said back. Gaara let a sinister smile encompass his features.

"So, you loved me, but now you don't?" Gaara pestered a crimson-faced Lee. Lee was, as stated earlier, as easy to read as a large print book. Lee shook his head and looked down at his crossed legs.

"Well, no, I mean yes, I… It's different now…" Gaara waited for him to get it, he liked hearing Lee babble nonsense, and Lee was irresistibly handsome when confused. "It's just, more complete, now…" Lee didn't know what to say, or just couldn't say anything more, so things were left unsaid, but still understood.

"So you love me…" Gaara stated and waited for Lee to nod his head in reply. Gaara's smile turned true. Gaara was getting used to smiling now. He'd done it solemnly before, but now, being around Lee, he couldn't help but let the small displays of affection burst forth. "The feeling's mutual." Gaara stated in the same tone of voice. Even if he was smiling, his voice was still dead serious. Gaara didn't like to be lied to, so he didn't lie. His brutal honesty had gotten him into trouble before, just as Lee's innocent honesty had caused Lee so much pain. They both had their crosses to bear, why not make the journey together?

"Your Highness," Lee breathed in shock, "Do you really mean that?" Lee's face was finally dulled to a light pink as he was hit by the confession. Gaara nodded, he didn't say words when words weren't needed. Remembering his memory he crawled over to a bewildered Lee and placed his arms around him. This would be his third time giving anyone a hug, the second time being his great aunt when he had left her earlier that week. Lee's face was radiating heat; Gaara could feel it being so close, practically in Lee's lap.

"Your Eminence?" Lee managed to hiccup out. Lee's arms were placed behind him to support their combined weight. That, and Lee was unsure if he should return the embrace or not.

Gaara liked this feeling, the emotion he was giving and receiving from Lee. Different then anything he'd ever experienced before, but some how primitively familiar. Like this emotion was encoded into his DNA. Later he realized that the reason it felt like that was because he was experiencing regular human hormones. But they weren't regular for him, so it was truly special.

"Drop the formalities," Gaara murmured next to Lee's ear. Gaara followed his instincts, having only glimpsed at strangers having moments like these before. He had no idea the dramatic effect he was having on the poor Lee under him.

"Gaara," Lee released as a breath, unable to completely register anything other than the younger male on top of him. His muscled arms gave way under him and they fell backward, Gaara completely onto of him now. The fact that his chest was fake was obvious now, it being easily squished between the two bodies. Gaara didn't want their embrace to be broken so he tightened his grip around Lee shoulders and neck. He placed his face in Lee's ebony hair, breathing in the scent of wilderness and something strange he couldn't place his finger on.

Lee shakily placed his arms around Gaara, resting his hands on the small of his back. His legs were still folded and bothered him in this position so he stretched them out, bringing Gaara and himself even closer together. "Please don't let me wake up just yet…" Lee whispered, thinking this too good to be true, it must be a fantasy. Another one of his crazy dreams, he'd wake up before anything more progressed, he always did.

After hearing Lee say this Gaara did the only thing a person could do in that situation. He moved his fingers to Lee's arm and pinched him. This act seemed completely rational in Gaara's mind, but utter insanity to Lee. And the shock from Gaara's 'wake up pinch' caused Lee to sit up rapidly and force the two men apart.

"What was that for?" Lee said. There was no anger in his voice, but absolute confusion. Gaara met Lee's confusion dead on with reason.

"To make sure you weren't dreaming." It wasn't a joke in Gaara's perspective, so he wasn't smiling and his tone of voice was solemn. But Lee smiled the second after the words left Gaara's mouth. A moment later Lee was trying to control his fit of laughter.

"What do you find so amusing?" Now Gaara was the confused one. So maybe his experience around others was little to nil, he still believed his actions to be completely normal. But normal by Gaara's standard were not so normal by anyone else's standards.

"You!" Lee managed to wheeze out between laughter. But Gaara took offense to this. Was Lee laughing in his face at him? Gaara let his distaste in Lee's laughing at him show through his expression and his arms crossed over his abdomen. Lee noticed Gaara's discomfort and stopped smiling so fast Gaara almost missed the transition.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I didn't mean to offend you." Lee started, but Gaara thought that was his complete answer and interjected.

"Well, you did offend me." Gaara said, his frown turning into more of a pout without him being aware of it.

"I'm sorry." Lee stated again, his restating it made Gaara feel a little better. Maybe he had done something irregular to cause Lee such amusement?

"It's alright." Gaara answered, he found it easier to forgive Lee then continue to be mad at him. Lee was unlike any of the other people Gaara had ever interacted with. Though, Gaara had interacted with very few others in his life, mostly the few family members he had.

"You're still the same." Lee said to Gaara with a lazy smile on his features. Gaara didn't know what he meant by this at first.

"I guess I am…" Gaara answered, not too sure of himself. Had he changed? He couldn't remember what he had been like, so he couldn't compare it to his current self. But he couldn't remember ever changing drastically (other than his sex) so he assumed he had stayed the same. "You haven't changed too much, either. Well, your personality is still essentially the same." Gaara looked the knight on his bed over, comparing it to his mental image of the young enthusiastic boy from before. The way he acted was still familiar, but the physical appearance had certainly changed. The boy from before had been small, as big as Gaara had been but Gaara had always been small for a male. Young Lee still possessed the lovely black hair but it'd been hacked into a bowl cut, matching an older knight's hair. Gaara had always assumed that man Lee's father but when asked Lee had stated otherwise. A small Lee had very pale skin, and hadn't been too strong for a growing boy. The others had labeled him as a failure, a child destined to never accomplish much. He had no talents, but that had appealed to Gaara when he was small. They had been the outcasts; they had believed in each other and had given each other belief when no one else would. Gaara was glad to be reunited with him, especially under these circumstances.

"Um, Your Majesty, I feel the need to inform you of something, while we're being open with each other." Lee's cheeks were tinted with red once again. Gaara nodded towards him so he would continue. "Well, I've taken something from you…" Lee stuttered out. Gaara wasn't aware that anything was missing or that Lee would want to take any of his belongings. Maybe Lee was really a cross dresser and had stolen one of his dresses? They would be quite the pair then, two men parading as women, mistaken for lesbians when really they were gay lovers. This enhanced Gaara's mood and almost caused him a bit of laughter.

"What is it, Lee? I'm sure it's nothing much. I wasn't even aware of anything missing." Gaara pressed Lee for the answer, now taking interest in the subject. Lee's face brightened with a beautiful shade of crimson as he strove towards the just out of reach answer.

"While you were sleeping yesterday," Lee started roughly. Gaara had the urge to correct him, for he hadn't been sleeping, he'd been out cold. He didn't act upon the urge, and Lee slowly went on. "I," he hesitated again, and Gaara's interest grew. What could he have done to cause himself this much embarrassment? "I kissed you." Lee finally blurted out and looked Gaara in the eye with courage, even though his face was beat red. Lee apparently thought that he'd get reprimanded for this and was prepared for the worst.

Gaara took a minute to let the idea roll around in his head. He slowly raised his hand to his face to touch lightly upon his lips. He hadn't been aware that they'd been touched, but hearing this he realized that that had been his first kiss, and he hadn't been conscious. It didn't anger him, but confused him. If Lee had kissed him that meant he loved him, but as more than a friend. This was a possible relationship Gaara had thought he'd never experience. Lee knew his secret, and still loved him. Love in general was something Gaara was new to but having something like this was so very new to him. Unattainable, he had thought, so he had never planned on what he should do if a situation like this were to arise. Lee's face was slowly turning back to it's natural pale bronze, and his expression read determination and ready for anything. He was kneeling, hands clenched on his thighs. Ready for anything? Then maybe this would throw him off guard.

A foot, give or take a few inches, was all that separated them, so to close the gap was an easy task. Gaara pressed his lips to the knight's, finding them surprisingly soft and warm. Just when Gaara had thought he'd found his own little haven the knight moved backwards away from him, taking his warmth with him. Gaara gave a look of complaint to Lee's look of confused distress.

"What?" was all Lee could manage to say, his face going from pale bronze to crimson in one second flat.

"To make it even." Gaara said, his voice even, as it always was. Lee seemed to take this answer, but his embarrassment still show blatantly on his face. "But I don't think we're even," Gaara added. Lee gave another look of confused distress.

"What makes you think that?" Lee said softly, the only emotion he could express was confusion, and of course embarrassment. What was Lee so embarrassed of? Was he afraid to show his own emotions? Embarrassed of his feelings? Gaara saw no point to this, but he knew Lee's thought process was very different from his own.

"Well, your first kiss wasn't with me, was it?" Gaara stated, knowing that normal people usually had this experience before they were nineteen. Lee was a normal boy of nineteen from what Gaara knew.

"No…" Lee weakly replied, and quickly added in realization, "That was your first kiss?" Gaara nodded in affirmation.

"I've been living abroad with no one but my great aunt for ten years. I haven't had much interaction with other people." Gaara stated. The part of his life where he should've been developing his human interface skills he was secluded from most human contact. "Therefore I'm inexperienced in this particular type of interaction." A devious smile encompassed Gaara's features as he said this. He wanted the warmth and comfort he got when near Lee. It wasn't something he was knowledgeable in, but he knew he wanted to partake in this action a lot more often with this particular knight.

"I'm not really an expert, either…" Lee said, his inexperience almost adorable. He was had more knowledge on the subject than Gaara but it wasn't much more.

"Then we can learn together." Gaara acknowledged, serious in his pursuit for knowledge on the subject. He leaned towards Lee once again, and this time Lee's lips met his half way. Their lips locked, Gaara pressed himself against the knight between his legs. Once their bodies were pressed together in a comfortable position Gaara broke away.

"Is there something after this?" His voice came out husky and unfamiliar, but in a pleasuring way. Gaara felt warm from all of Lee's body heat, but he thought that maybe he was generating some warmth. He didn't know what it was specifically, but his heart felt light enough to flutter, his body finally didn't feel so out of place and cold.

"Yeah…" Lee finally said, in a low voice. It was nice change of pace from the squeak of embarrassment he'd been letting out for awhile. "Keep your lips parted." Gaara did as he was told and kept his lips parted so that his breath came out in little huffs. Lee finally showed some backbone and moved in. He took Gaara's lips in his own and let his tongue slide gradually into Gaara's mouth. Gaara was shocked and enticed by the intimacy of this and lightly began to coax Lee's tongue by rubbing his tongue along Lee's. The ecstasy was too much for Lee; he was becoming light headed with passion. He fell backwards again, their mouths parting only long enough to quickly catch up on getting the air they needed. Gaara, following gut feelings, brought his lips to Lee's and started to nip at his bottom lip, receiving a low moan out of Lee. Gaara was beginning to feel a need for contact; he wanted flesh on flesh, his marble white skin against Lee's light beige. Lee's fingers played at the edge of Gaara's shirt as Gaara's fingers contemplated tearing off Lee's clothes.

But before further levels of intimacy could occur there was a loud abrasive knock at the door, stopping both boys in their tracks.

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Here's a new chapter, huzzah! I hope you guys liked this one because it is either A) the last one for awhile or B) I'm gonna post a new chapter quick. I'm going on a quick vacation and then it's back to school! And my computer's broken, virus! I'm on it right now but it's being a spaz, just like me! I really hope this chapter made sense, please tell me it did? I don't often make sense to myself. Thank you so much for reading, I'm sorry I can't post usernames again, because I really love ya all, I really do, but my computer's being mean and I wanna post this before it kicks me off again. Thank you thank you thank you all, and have a wonderful life! Because you all deserve it, I'm sure you do.


	6. Another point of view

Chapter 6: Another point of view

Temari started the day with the usual routine of making sure everything was in order. It was her job, her duty, and her right, to keep everything in the kingdom under control. That was who she was, the kind of woman she had become over the years. Most of the citizens of Sabaku had expected her to become a successful queen, ready for her to lead them into an age of brilliance. When she had proclaimed she wasn't going to take control many had been disappointed and confused. But there was always good reason behind Temari's actions so they trusted her. Temari was infamous and respected by all for her hard work, not to mention her incredible wit. She managed an entire country, and took none of the credit. But as stated before, that's who she is. The hard working woman of Sabaku, who could man an entire army by herself, if need be.

She needn't run an army, though, so her days were quiet, calm, and orderly. She didn't enjoy paperwork, but the bit that there was she accomplished with complete diligence. She also checked in with the major shopkeepers and traders, made sure the outskirts of the main city were well taken care of. She knew very few people by name, but everyone knew her name. She was kind and courteous but found it troublesome to learn many people's names, for they responded to any name she chose call them. She could tell you about a man who said the word 'troublesome' quiet often, but we won't go into that right now.

Temari had decided to check up on her little brother/sister. The very thought of his mixed up gender lightened her mood. It was all a big joke to her, but she played her part for her country as she always did. As she made her way to her brother's room she eventually got her facial features to reveal a warm smile. A family trait they all shared in this group of siblings was they enjoyed others confusion/misery. It wasn't something they ever said aloud but all knew was balled inside of them. They were cold towards each other, but in the end the cold was their only shared warmth.

She reached the door, wondering where the knight Lee could be. She had given him the position as Gaara's bodyguard, and he usually fulfilled his duties stupendously. Maybe he had gone to the restroom? No, Lee didn't even take bathroom breaks unless he asked permission first. Ignoring his absence and knowing he couldn't have gone far she knocked on Gaara's door. Knocking was something she did normally without thinking. She didn't like walking in on someone dressing; it was unprofessional, even if he was her little brother.

Gaara didn't answer for at least a full minute and she was ready to just open the door. But she knew the doors were thick and her brother was often soft spoken so she waited for a little while longer. Another half-minute passed before she heard her brother's small voice manage to get across the door. His belated reply was a simple "Come in."

Presently she opened one of the large oak doors. They were overly elaborate but that's what princesses were supposed to be. The room was brighter than the dark corridor but not too much so. As her eyes easily adjusted to the change she spotted the missing knight, standing a few feet from her little brother's bed. He was in the same position he would have been outside the doors; only he was inside the room. What would his explanation be? Temari was very intelligent and educated, she had a few hypothesizes of her own already. But she'd let the knight speak for himself.

"Lee, I see you've taken post in the princess's chambers. Any particular reason for this sudden change in routine?" Temari inquired, her smirk still genuine.

"I, that is, under hi-her request, I" Lee was doing everything in his power to keep his face it's natural hue but it kept creeping towards crimson. And his trip up on Gaara's gender was a dead give away. She was glad Lee was such an honest person and that he was the one involved. If she had to question Gaara she knew he wouldn't budge on the subject, but Lee was freshly turned earth under her mighty plow. Temari decided to evaluate the situation before asking another question. Lee stuttered nonsense, loosing control of his facial features. He was a good knight, one of the best, but a horrible liar. She looked to her little brother, who was sitting on his feminine bed, looking at her with his usual cool stare. She knew there was something going on here between the two of them almost at once. Strange as it was, she should have seen it coming. She just wondered how far they had gotten.

"Can I assume my brother is still a virgin?" Lee knew Gaara was a man, right? Yes, that much had to be true, but the look on Lee's face when she had asked that was priceless. He stuttered and lost any ounce of composure he had ever possessed. He turned a shade of red Temari hadn't thought possible. She almost laughed.

"What do you mean?" Lee squeaked out, still stuttering and slurring his words to the point where they were almost indecipherable.

"No, we haven't gotten that far." Gaara stated calmly, while Lee turned to look at him in utter disbelief. Lee was a very modest person; topics like this always caused him embarrassment. Like sexual desire was blasphemous to whatever he believed in. Lee showed enough awkwardness for the both of them while Gaara showed enough tranquility to even it out. She had never realized how fully their personalities complemented each other. No wonder they had hit it off, she had unknowingly played matchmaker. It was all very reasonable, yet complete insanity at the same time.

"So you're gay? I kind of expected it from the both of you from the beginning." She teased. "I guess that makes it easier for you, Gaara." She nodded knowingly towards her cross dressing sibling.

"I guess." Gaara said, he never said much. She smiled; all of this just amused her to the fullest extent. She was the key turning point in this romance, she could end it or she could help the two failures in love out. She decided that ending it would anger too many readers, plus she liked to play the good guy. So she'd straighten this mess out. Well, maybe not 'straighten.' She laughed to herself in her mind.

"Lee, you can sit down now, before you faint." She mocked Lee, but he was too mortified to take notice and just sat down on the bed obediently. He sat on the edge, his face a dazed red as he looked towards his feet. "Gaara, sit next to him." She commanded, and no one ever disobeyed her, ever. He moved slowly and deliberately to sit beside the bewildered boy. She noticed they actually looked really nice together. Lee's height was enough to make Gaara look the regular height for a female. Lee's thick eyebrows were also big enough for the both of them, Gaara having lacked facial hair since birth. Maybe he didn't have any hair beside what was atop his head, she'd never know. But this wasn't the time or the place to wonder; she was here to conduct business, as always.

Temari went to the bathroom to grab the stool-like-chair kept there. She set the chair down in front of the boys and took a seat. She kept her face calm, her moves planed out ahead of time, or at least they always seemed that way. Gaara was as collected as ever, and Lee was getting there.

"I'll assume you know Gaara's male, but this must be kept a secret." She directed towards Lee, he nodded. "What else do you know?" She saw he was reluctant to answer for a moment, but no one denied Temari answers.

"I knew Gaara when we were younger, before we had names. I know he's the former queen's fatherless son. I know he knows how to fight effectively. And," he paused "I know there is nothing you can do to stop me from loving him." Lee proclaimed the last part, his face tinted cherry again.

"Good, I didn't plan on doing anything of the sort. I've decided to help, not hinder, your relationship." She stated, which got her a surprised reaction from Lee. He always expected to be punished for emotions. She assumed it was a side effect from a traumatizing event in his past.

"You approve?" Lee questioned, his look hopeful.

"Not exactly, but I don't disapprove." She never liked to admit to things like this directly. She wasn't sure what the answer was exactly so she'd leave confusion where certainty was unstable.

"How do you expect to help us?" Gaara asked. He didn't mean to be cold, but he was and she could throw it right back at him.

"How do expect to do this with just the two of you? I'm a lot more experienced and knowledgeable than the two of you are. You need my help, believe me." She threw Gaara a confident smile as he rolled his eyes at her comment. "Plus, you'd rather have me on your side than against you, right?" At this Gaara stopped his mockery and gave her a questioning glance. One that said 'You'd really defy my wishes?' all on it's own.

"Alright," Gaara said, Lee still too shocked by her support to speak. "You've made your point."

"Thank you, it always pleases me to know I've gotten a point across to my thick headed younger brother." As stated before, Gaara and Temari shared the common sibling 'love to hate' relationship.

"Thank you so much, Temari-san." Was all Lee could manage to say, but the words were so loaded with gratitude that it hadn't mattered how simple they were.

"Not a problem. But let's move on with this. Now that you know most of the secret, and you plan on spending a lot of your time with the 'princess,' I think you deserve to know the truth. The whole story. It might cost you your life one day, for after I tell you this you must stay with Gaara. Are you ready?" Temari, as always, had her thoughts planed out ahead. These two hormone pumped boys wouldn't think of reason in their love filled heads. If their relationship were to be established there'd have to be rules to follow and warnings given first.

"I've always been willing to give my life for Gaara. Please continue." Lee said, suddenly serious. He had that quirk, were he could go from unprofessional to ready for anything in no time at all. It was one of the things that made him a good knight, the ability to shake off all his woes when things got serious. Lee was most diligent when things got rough, and for that Temari knew she could put her trust in him.

"You're familiar to the tale of how Sabaku began, right?" She asked, for if he were explaining their predicament would be that much easier.

"Both tales, Temari-san." Lee stated, which was no surprise. Most children, especially ones brought up within castle walls, were taught both stories.

"Good, because what I have to tell you concerns the Great One, the first Sabaku. You do know that Gaara, Kankuro, and myself are all his supposed descendants?" Lee nodded solemnly. He was intently focused on what Temari had to tell him. He wanted to learn all he could about Gaara. Temari thought that maybe after the serious talk was over she could tell Lee a few stories about Gaara he wouldn't hear anywhere else. But for the time being she must finish what she had set out to do.

"Well, Gaara here is a bit more than just a mere descendant. He possesses that certain ability that the Great One himself was said to have, the ability to manipulate sand." Temari told of this with the manner of one who has said many a things in her time, but this was of the more important things. She had never said this aloud to anyone, it had been a secret kept within the three siblings and Gaara's 'great aunt.' But it didn't feel odd saying it to the boy, Lee. It just felt life changing, for the better, for all of them.

"Sand crafts?" Lee said, bewildered at the possibility. This was something only done in the fairy tales of yore. The kind of thing only mentioned in fantasies.

"In the most crucial sense, yes. It's hard to believe without seeing it for yourself, isn't it?" She hadn't believed it at first. But the instant she had accepted it as fact she'd sent Gaara to train under that woman. She might have been related to the Sabaku family, long ago in a forgotten time. But she knew how to train and contain crafts. Thus her masterful hand had raised Gaara, honing his skills and teaching him to use them to their potential.

"No, I don't disbelieve you, Temari-san." Lee said softly, his confusion evident in his voice. "But it's a matter of such magnitude I can hardly believe this to not be a dream." He looked to Gaara and added, "But I know it mustn't be a dream."

"Far from it!" Temari said. "It's almost a nightmare, having this trait suddenly pop up in one of his descendants, a male nonetheless!" Temari sighed; Gaara's ability had caused her many sleepless nights of pondering. But she had always come back to the same conclusion. "Gaara needed to be converted into the ruler of Sabaku. And the only way that was going to happen was by dressing him as a woman and calling him 'Princess.'" Temari gave Lee a comprehensive look. He seemed to have taken it well enough. He was an easily perplexed man, but once he had accepted something to be true he contemplated it until he finally figured it out. This was one of those instances in which he'd need awhile before he even understood his own thoughts on the matter.

"I have other things to attend to." Temari announced. She really didn't have much else to do that day, but she believed the boys now needed to share some time alone. She'd just given Lee a heavy load to carry; he'd need to recuperate sooner than later. "So, Lee, ask any questions you may have to Gaara. And Gaara, I expect you to answer his inquires, each and every one of them." With that, Temari stood. She swiftly put the stool back in its place and just as abruptly as she had come, she left. This may have been her first major appearance in this story, but surely not her last.

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Sorry this chapter is so short and so late! I'll try and make the next one better, I promise! But I wanted to get the story all set on the table through this chapter and I think I might have acomplished my goal! A big thanks to my reviewers and loyal fans **ligice76, Black Light Princess, xXdragonXdreamerXx, chinesefirethorn, Jadeile, Celtic Warrior, hebi-chan, JouVal-Yaoi-Fanatik, **and **Hey-Us Girls-We-Like-To-Dream**. A hug to every one of you and also a big thanks to everyone who put this story on their favs or alerts list! You all rock, I'm posting links to the fanart done for this fanfiction on my author page after I post this. I'm so happy. I love this story so much, I glad you guys read it.


	7. Someplace far better than Heaven

**WARNING:** Contains explicit content! Sexual things do happen here in this chapter!

Chapter 7: Someplace far better than Heaven

Now, who really is the main character of this story? From what you've heard thus far you'd believe it to be Gaara, right? But look at the title of this fan fiction 'From Footman to Prince.' This is a story about Sir Rock Lee, a gallant knight who may make mistakes, but doesn't let his imperfections bring him down. Not like there are many defects in the knight, but the few faults he possessed always managed to bring him down. Like his inability to lie, which was a trait he regretted having right about now.

"She'll never let us live this down." Gaara said to him in that tone he always seemed to use. His manner never changed much; unlike Lee he was very consistent in his emotions and actions.

"But Temari-san said she'd help us out." Lee replied quickly, holding onto the hope that this would all work out and everything would be a-okay in the end.

"At the cost of our dignity. She'll continue to mock us until the day she dies." Gaara said, his tone becoming even more somber, which Lee came to recognize as a smidgen of sadness or regret.

"Would you like me to leave?" Lee asked suddenly. He felt like Gaara was either wanting his own space or wanting someone to hold him close. The second one being too radical a move in their relationship, Lee thought, and decided it must be the first one.

"No, don't move." The smaller male said as he shifted his weight to fall swiftly onto the taller boy's shoulder. After a moment the crimson haired boy let out a hefty sigh, his whole abdomen caving as the air was let out of him. He pressed his weight further onto the knight next to him, knowing the knight could easily hold his body upright. Lee felt the limbs fall heavily onto him and noted how exasperated his young compatriot sounded.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Lee asked, eternally concerned for his beloved. The ivory skinned male didn't answer right away, relishing in having someone next to him, there for him, in more ways than one.

"I'm fine, as long as you don't leave." Gaara said, not putting much emotion into the words but effortlessly putting hefty meanings into them. Lee, who was beyond puzzlement by now, was starting to take everything in as it came at him. He'd think about everything else later, why worry over the little things when the person who mattered most to him was pressing against his side? Gaara had only been in the kingdom for almost three days and already he'd changed the young Lee's life forever.

Holding that position, as if a work of sentimental art frozen in a golden frame, they comforted each other with nothing but their own presence. It was something they'd both noticed right off the bat, and maybe it was the reason for time seeming to move so slowly and their relationship to develop at such an alarming rate. Love was such a dull term for the emotion felt by the two young men. Passion only the half of it, and no other words able to describe what was conspiring between them come to mind.

After many moments of comforting silence the younger man stirred from his false slumber, his eyes opening at half-mast. He sat up, knowing that they should get through the questions as soon as possible. Gaara didn't like to leave open ends; he sealed off ends and started new chains in the pattern.

"So, any questions?" Gaara asked, breaking the silence and the quiet, simple, supple mood. Lee almost grunted a distressed answer but stopped himself. He hadn't wanted to think about it, he hadn't wanted to think much at all. Being so close to Gaara he could slowly feel his brain yielding to thinking of nothing but the boy. He finally got his mind focused enough to answer.

"A few." Lee replied groggily, like he hadn't been in reality for the past few minutes. Which he probably hadn't, his mind had most definitely been some place far away only moments ago. "So everything she said is true? It seems so…" Lee couldn't think of one word to describe it as. It was unbelievable, irrational, unrealistic, mind-boggling, but it all had to be true, especially if Gaara admitted it to be true. And Lee knew he wasn't dreaming, but this was so dream-like he still had a hard time reassuring himself that he truly was awake.

"Yes, the topics mentioned before are factual, no matter how ridiculous they seem." Gaara paused then continued, "Do you not believe them to be so?" He said, referring to the things talked of before. Gaara knew his predicament to be unusual, even by his own unique standards.

"I know they must be true." Lee said, his intense confusion showing. "But it's just so hard to take all at once, having no time to think it over. It's a wild idea, all of it, with the sand crafting and direct descendants and such. Not to mention our past, your being male, everything coming all at once." Lee paused, and brought his head up and turned it to look into Gaara's hypnotic eyes. "But if you say these things to be fact, then I believe you. I'll always believe you."

Gaara, paused by the words, didn't reply for a moment. Everything Lee said was so cliché, but reassuring nonetheless. "Sometimes it seems you say things just for the sake of saying them. But you're not like that, so it's puzzling." Gaara stated his own uncertainty. Lee was one person who Gaara believed he'd never completely figure out, but that's what made things interesting.

Lee let out a small chuckle, moving the boys whole abdomen next to him. Gaara, so close to Lee's chest, could hear his breathing and sounds before they reached his lips. "I've been told I'm kind of out there. A lot of people don't realize what you just said. You really are quite observant." Lee said with true amazement in his voice. Sometimes he thought that this man could understand him better than he could understand himself. One more thing for the seemingly endless list of admirable qualities Gaara possessed. Though, he'd now have to revise his list, Gaara being a man now and all.

"So you're okay with everything? You understand?" Gaara asked, wanting to finish their Q & A session. Temari would bicker with him later otherwise.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say I understand. But I'll get it eventually. Once it all settles in, maybe." Lee said, sure that he'd understand it all, one day. He still had some time left to get it right, didn't he?

"So that takes care of that." Gaara said, still leaning upon the knight. Lee wasn't used to the warmth of someone so close for so long, in such a comfortable, innocent position as this. This was something he was sure he liked, and the feeling was most definitely mutual. "Furthermore, how do you feel about me?" The crimson haired young man asked suddenly. Lee choked on the air he was currently breathing and tried to stutter a suitable answer. It didn't come out at first, though. Just as a bunch of stuttered incomprehensible syllables.

"Do you dislike me that much? So much that you can't say anything?" The frail, yet strong, ivory skinned male said, the closest thing to sorrow he'd ever portrayed. The saddest thing about it was he believed it. The young man was so ill learned in the art of social interaction he couldn't differentiate bashfulness from repulsion. The older man quickly snapped into a clear state of mind at those words.

Knowing what to do, by instinct or something more, Lee pulled away. He let the downhearted boy fall a little before he took him by the shoulders. The ebony haired knight looked into the eyes so full of despair that they could be shedding tears, if they knew how to. Carefully, so to not have his actions misinterpreted, the taller male brought his lips to the others. The younger man, needing the contact, deepened the kiss quickly and thoroughly. In an instant their tongues were hungrily rubbing against each other, the saliva mixing in a way that could only be described as euphoric. As they broke away for a moment to fill their lungs, their breath coming out in humid huffs, the taller pulled away just far enough so that his lips couldn't be readily accessed by the scarlet headed, hot and ready teen.

"See? I like you so much I can't use words." Lee said, a seductive smile spread across his lips. Gaara, not wanting words anymore anyway, didn't even nod. He just lifted an arm to place it in the ebony hair around the male's neck, forcing the soft lips towards his own. Pumped with emotions that were unknown to the pale green-eyed beauty before, the lust hit him hard, all those years of ignored hormones lying dormant in his body finally getting some release. The kiss was affecting his body in ways he wasn't familiar with, but nothing unpleasant, waves of passion coursing through his blood stream, affecting each and every one of his cells. He needed something more, but he still didn't know what came after this. His instincts were starting to kick in, but he wanted to know what he was doing was right.

"Lee," His voice came out more like a soft, low moan. "What comes next?" Here, Lee's spine literally shuddered with passion; he quickly reminded himself that he needed to enforce control upon his actions. The older teen, having even more pent up fervor, wanted this just as much as the lust stricken Gaara, but knowing they couldn't go past this yet, didn't answer immediately. He slowly pulled away, the hand still placed in his hair almost yanking him back in protest. But he only separated their lips by less than an inch, so that their breath merged in a searing entanglement and their lips touched with every small bodily movement. This satisfied the younger male for maybe half a moment, he wanted an answer, and the knight's body pressed against his own.

"What comes next?" Gaara repeated, now demanding an answer, his lips mere centimeters from Lee's. The questioned male hesitated for a moment, but like his sister, Gaara couldn't be denied answers.

"Intercourse…" Lee softly replied, his voice less than a whisper.

"I knew that much." Gaara answered, almost annoyed. Of course, he never really showed things like that, so no one would know even if he were annoyed. "But how do we go about doing that?" The burgundy topped boy asked, truly not knowing and wanting an answer. Lee became flustered instantly; Gaara didn't even have to look to feel the heat coming from the face so close to his.

"I-I'm not sure." The uncomfortable man answered, the statement only being half true. But true even so.

"Then we'll have to find out on our own. Experiment." Gaara whispered intensely, using the hand he had in Lee's hair to push the knight's lips to his own. The older male almost grunted in disagreement but as he felt the younger tongue push his lips apart and enter his mouth his groan tuned into a moan for more. Still seated on the edge of the glamorous four-post bed and about ready to tumble off, the lovely red head moved out of the deep lip lock and traveled towards the middle of the bed, where they would have more room to 'experiment.'

"Take off your boots first. It'll make things easier." Gaara said, as Lee just looked at him absentmindedly. It was all too much for the easily confused knight to comprehend. Still obedient, Lee bent to unlace his work boots and slip them off his feet to rest on the floor next to the grand bed. As he sat back up to face the awaiting teen his gaze faltered. He knew that if he continued to look at Gaara and if the boy continued to look at him, in that way that he did, they'd end up doing something inappropriate. More likely than not, very inappropriate.

"B-but, Gaara, do you really…?" Lee started but was silenced by the lips of a certain male brushing against his own. The boy quickly pulled away, resting again in the center of the bed.

"Shut up and get your ass over here." The impatient pale teen demanded. Gaara was learning that Lee would not ignore a command, no matter what it was. He was a finely trained knight. Hesitating for a moment Lee slowly crept towards the middle of the bed. The bed was about six feet in width and nine feet in length with crimson and white patterned sheets. A majestic bed indeed, worthy of the lovemaking bound to happen upon it.

As the knight approached on hands and knees the red head pondered about what exactly was going to happen. With the thrill of trying something like this, Gaara became very excited. It wasn't like him to have so much positive anticipation for anything but this seemed to be the exception. The knight kneeled in front on the smaller male and lifted his head to see an amused smile painting the boy's features. Not a care for anything else the younger teen threw his arms around the dark haired male's waist and brought their mouths together in an almost violent kiss. Sweet, loving, tender? The adjectives never crossed the boy's mind.

There was something growingly uncomfortable coming between the two, though. Ah yes, those blasted clothes people were required to wear. Clothing seemed to be an unnecessary part of life, why put one more obstacle between him and the thing he wanted? As Lee broke away from the intense make out session to breath he found his shirt, long sleeve undershirt, and chain mail all being ripped off at once. Gaara tossed the clothes aside and they hit the floor in a loud clatter of chain mail against the fine, dark, marble tile. The elder male flinched from the sudden loud noise and loss of clothes. But neither bothered him very long, for in a moment the mischievous red head was pressed against his kneeling body. One arm around Lee's waist an the other having it's fingers pressed into his hair, Gaara began to nip at the knight's tender ear. The response he received was another of Lee's low, deep moans that stirred the darkest parts of Gaara's soul.

Lee, in seventh heaven, was starting to sweat even though he lacked sufficient clothing. The beautiful boy currently nipping at his ear whispered something about his shirt bothering him, and Lee needing to take it off of him, the knight obeyed readily. Carefully slipping the shirt off the boy and separating their bodies for a moment Lee saw straps of cloth supporting the boy's fake breasts. Deciding this counted as part of Gaara's 'shirt' Lee quickly removed it, tossing it aside, not caring about where it would land.

Both now sporting naked chests they once again found themselves in a deep, erotic, kiss. The feeling of skin against skin, saliva mixing, and teeth pushing forcefully behind deceivingly soft lips was almost too much for them as they panted loudly for each other, breaking away only when it was absolutely necessary. Fingers tracing invisible lines on the small of Gaara's back Lee finally fell atop Gaara. The pale younger male took his legs from beneath him and wrapped them around the knights waist seductively, his short pants now hiked up to his upper thighs.

His hands gliding upon smooth, virgin skin Lee left the male's mouth to venture to other regions yet to be explored. His hands placed upon Gaara's sides, thumbs carefully rubbing and hardening the 'princess's' nipples; the knight was taken over completely by mind numbing ecstasy. The only thing on his mind was how much of this flesh could he taste, how much could he touch, how much could he do to this body before it rejected his affections. The ebony haired male found himself licking the dip in the boy's collarbone, which leads to loud, pleasing, pant-like moans coming from the body beneath him. Invigorating, truly, utterly, consuming him, the moans only lead the knight to lightly nipping at the soft tissue.

The ivory skinned male currently being pleasured was finally letting his mask fall; he had no defenses against this kind of approach, and hoped he would never develop any. This, he believed, was what living was for. How could have he lived without this before, without knowing this had existed, without knowing that someone like this existed? The thought of this never happening, the thought of never having this, was maddening. And it forced Gaara to enjoy it all the more.

The knight, not growing bored with the male's collarbone, but wanting to explore more, moved his mouth to a lower part of the chest. He placed his hands on the boy's hips as he pressed his lips to one of the already toughened nipples. Breathing in the scent of Gaara, which was a musk-like scent that had a bit of strawberry, Lee moved his face even lower, heading towards entirely new and unclaimed territory.

Gaara heard himself audibly gasp when Lee's lips grazed over his hipbone. It wasn't out of any kind of pain, but because of the sudden attention that untouched, sensitive area was getting. In fact, it was the exact opposite of pain, it was the most pleasuring feeling the boy had ever experienced, and it was just beginning. The knight, who was still experiencing that certain state of mind that didn't allow one to think, had his need to pleasure the male under him grow. It was too much for the both of them, yet it never seemed enough, and with that occurring Lee hooked his thumbs into the top of Gaara's hiked up pants. Lee was about to find out whether or not Gaara actually possessed any hair other than that atop his head.

It happens that the seventeen-year-old male has no hair other than the dark crimson hair coming from his scalp. And as his member was exposed the boy's legs fell from Lee's waist, his hands clutched at the sheets below him. Gaara was experiencing so much bliss that it caused him to grind his teeth and take sharp intakes of breath. The ebony haired male was still marveling at the beautiful erection before him as he breathed heavily onto it, only enticing it more. Lee was most definitely gay, and had no doubt that he might have always had a preference for men. Come to think of it, who needed women when he could have this?

Lee decided to indulge on his impulse to taste the forbidden fruit before him, putting his lips to the tip, waiting for a reaction. The response was instantaneous as a low, inviting moan escaped the burgundy haired male's lips. Wanting, no, needing to hear more of that sound Lee tested the area with a small flick of the tongue. The result was another glorious sound filling the air, so the knight decided he needed to go further. His mouth at the base of the shaft he lazily let his tongue fall against it, then licked upwards on it as one usually does a candy cane during the holiday season. But in this universe they don't have a celebration for the birth of a man who never existed so there was nothing for Lee to compare it to other than one of the most rewarding things he's ever done. The boy under him literally shivered, he could feel it course all the way through his body, and then let out a breathy, pant-like, exhilarated, cry of approval.

Now wanting more than ever to please the one he loved, Lee decided to try and completely satisfy the practically shuddering body below him. Breathing one last breath upon it to excite it even further the knight placed his maw upon the head of the erection, slowly starting to suck at it. Too much for the complete virgin, never even really having an erection before, well, especially not like this, Gaara moaned loudly, probably one of the loudest sounds he had ever made. Feeling the climax coming Gaara placed his hands in Lee's hair. Not to keep him there, or to take him away from there, but to make sure he was still there, that this was still real. This wasn't a dream, but it was so far from the norm of reality that it had to be classified as a completely different existence.

As the pinnacle of Gaara's erection approached Lee prepared himself, sucking at the member with a slow, steady force. Hands in the silk-like ebony hair the light skinned male arched his back as he forced himself further into the knight's oral cavity. His seed was excreted in a very sweet release and the red headed boy couldn't help but make the loudest sound yet, a beautiful moan in a melodious key that vibrated through both the males bodies in the most pleasuring way. The knight let the slick and now malleable manhood slide from his jaws, tasting the delightful seed of his lover in every part of his mouth.

Gaara was a majestic white in the light of the afterglow. But it wasn't over, and the boys sat up at the same time, one because of the realization of what he had just done, and one because he knew he had to finish this up. Gaara's eyes narrowed into a look of satisfaction and passion. Lee looked away in frantic embarrassment as he pulled Gaara's pants back over his exposed member and wiped away the sticky white liquid on his face. As Lee was looking away Gaara's hand glided through the distance and came to rest on the belt that was looped through the knights pants. Lee was about to scurry away from the touch but the stern look on the beautiful, pale boy's face stopped him.

The younger teen had the belt off in a matter of milliseconds, and had his lips on the other boy's in even less time. Lee, now jittery with the consciousness of their actions, gasped as Gaara swiftly slid his fingers into the knight's pants. Breaking the connection of their lips Lee moved his upper body away from Gaara's, which only caused the determined teen to wrap his left arm around the knight and slide his whole hand below the other male's beltline. Lee's face achieved new intensities of crimson once again, but he couldn't protest. His breath was being sucked away by the hand creeping ever closer to his erect manhood.

The crimson haired boy once again placed his lips on the other male's, with determination to pleasure the other boy. Gaara was not one to leave his debts unpaid, Lee had pleasured him, so he should try and do something pleasurable for the knight. The said knight's breath hitched as a pale finger came in contact with his sensitive erection, and Gaara had to let Lee break away to breath once again. But the hand inside the elder male's pants was relentless as it swiftly rubbed itself against the hot member. This caused the ebony haired boy to stifle a loud moan erupting from the very area itself as it made its way through his entire being. The knight breathed heavily and couldn't seem to find his breath as the hand finally took hold of the erected manhood. Inside the dark cloth of the pants Gaara's hand rubbed up and down the length of Lee's member, while outside the clothed area Lee had tilted his head upwards and tightly shut his eyes. He bit his bottom lip as he determinedly blocked the loud moans and such threatening to escape his mouth. But as the knight succumbed to the hand manipulating his pleasure device, he couldn't help but let out a high cry of intense bliss as he split his seed all over the inside of his slacks. The hot, sticky moisture slid across the pale hand as it let go of the manhood and made its way out of the now messy clothed area.

Lee's head slowly made it's way down back to Earth and his eyes gradually opened to look at the red headed teen before him. Gaara was preoccupied with inspecting his seed covered hand, and with a sudden, bold movement he placed a cum covered finger into his mouth. The dark eyed teen almost pulled the messy hand out of the boy's mouth, almost stopping him out of embarrassment. But he didn't, and instead intently watched the boy sucking at his own pale finger. The sight was passionate, and Lee became jealous of the small, soft finger in Gaara's mouth. The jade-eyed beauty gave the envious looking boy a half lidded look as he licked the back of his hand clean. Lee quickly took the hand away from Gaara's mouth and replaced it with his lips as he pressed his mouth against Gaara's. Lee could taste himself, Gaara, and the mix of everything all at once taking place in his mouth as the boys had another rousing tongue duel.

Before any more passionate occurrences could take place a loud bell sounded throughout the castle. The boys broke away from each other, look at the door, and then back at each other.

"It's the banquet." Gaara stated, the sentence sounding weird and out of place here, in this intimate setting.

"Oh, yeah." Lee said dumbly. He could feel his face becoming red once again as he tentatively looked into the emerald eyes of the beautiful boy in front of him.

"I think it's mandatory I attend this one, it being held in the honor of my arrival and all." Gaara said, a mocking smile on his features as Lee's clumsy black eyes looked into his.

"I would think so." Lee said, his brain still not functioning properly. "Should I, um, help you get ready?" The knight stated unsurely. He had undressed him, after all.

"Just with the breasts thing. Help me find it." Gaara said calmly, looking around himself on the bed, and then moving to peer over the bedside and check the floor. Lee moved to the other side of the bed to look there. "Never mind, I got it, help me put it back on." Gaara said, retrieving it from the floor and then sitting on the edge. Lee came and sat beside him, wrapping the cloth that held up the balls of cotton on Gaara's torso. He tied it off and looked around for his own clothes.

"Okay, should be able to dress myself from here. You can go change your pants before we head to the dinning hall." Lee was placing his belt back on when Gaara said this, a blushed at the mention of what had happened. Lee quickly gathered his shirts and chain mail off the floor. He put it back on and then looked to the smaller male still seated on the edge of the bed they had just 'experimented' on. It all felt, weird, out of place, like it hadn't actually happened. But it had, and both boys knew their relationship had been changed forever.

Lee quietly went over the crimson haired beauty, kneeling so he could look into those jade eyes. "I'll only be a moment." Lee said as he quickly pressed his lips to Gaara's. It was short and innocent; when Lee pulled away his face was once again crimson. The knight practically ran out of the room and down into the halls of the castle, his face a charming shade of pink the whole time.

Gaara changed into an amazing gown of crimson and violet with intricate patterns of gold thread to add to the glamour of the dress. He went to his bathroom, washed his hands and face, brushed his hair, and by the time he was done putting on his black slippers Lee was at his door, politely knocking. Instead of yelling 'Come in' Gaara simply went to one of the doors and opened it, seeing the knight's ready form standing there, waiting for him.

Lee wore a suit of dark green and black, his hair combed back and his face just washed. He smiled as he offered his arm to the princess standing before him. "Shall we be off?"

"Yes, let's get going before they wonder where we are." Gaara said, looping his arm through the knight's as they made their way down the corridor.

They made it to the banquet right on time, and no one questioned the locking of arms between the knight and the princess. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, Temari might have secretly smiled at this display of affection. And Lee kept his composure, not messing up on Gaara's gender once.

* * *

Ah! Here you guys go, I'm finally posting a new chapter. I hope you liked this one! It's Rock Lee's brithday, by the way, so everyone be happy for him! I have a one shot I'm going to post for his birthday, but I don't know if I can finish it tonight, Gah! So, thanks to everyone! Fanfiction wouldn't let me upload this any sooner, I had it done a couple of days ago! Sorry for the wait. And I might take awhile with the next chapter, so sorry in advanced! '


	8. Time Can't Tell

Chapter 8: Time can't tell

The lives of our two heroes became busy with many irrelevant, unimportant things soon after this. Unbeknownst to the boys it had been planed like this. That had been a day of rest, like the one before it. But the new princess had many things to attend to, meetings to go to, and soon fell into 'her' old habit of little to no sleep. Lee had noticed this almost immediately, even though he had many things to attend to himself, but protecting the princess was still his top priority. One day, about a week after Lee had first started to notice the princess's sleeping habits, he questioned 'her' about it.

"I noticed you haven't been sleeping regularly." Lee said casually during one of their few, precious moments alone.

"I never did even before I came here, I haven't had regular sleeping patterns since I was ten." Gaara said, openly honest, as always. The boys only had another couple of minutes before they were to report to the Grand Hall so Gaara quickly took advantage of the situation. Before Lee could even comment on Gaara's lack of sleep the male-cross-dressing-as-a-female had himself pressed against the knight. And before Lee could make any sort of protest soft, hot lips were on his own. Gaara loosely put his fingers through the chain mail adorning the knight, to give his smaller form some sort leverage. The ebony haired male was taking part in the rough make out session without a second thought. They didn't get as much time alone anymore, so moments like this were always savored by the two needy teens. After another half a minute of tongue clashing Gaara quickly pulled away, knowing that if they didn't make it to the Grand Hall on time they'd have another rather harsh scolding given to them by Temari.

"Now we've got to hurry." Gaara said to the knight as they joined hands. Fingers locked, they made a dash towards the Grand Hall, arriving with seconds to spare.

This how it was for a while, short 'experimentations' when they could afford to, and small public displays of affection where it was allowed. They spent plenty of time together, but more often than not, it was in front of some group of officials or nobilities. And it would be quite the scandal if the two suddenly started having rough sex atop the meeting hall table one day. I'm sure the readers would love for me to put that in the story, but no, we must conceal the fact that Gaara is a man at all costs. Even if it does mean no public sexual expeditions.

Days turned to hours and hours into minutes as the time flew past, the frustration between the boys grew. They thought many a time that they could be alone somewhere, together. But it always played out wrong, and people seemed to be watching them more carefully than usual. Paperwork, councils, gatherings, visitors, celebrations, they all seemed a hassle; the two young men were getting tried of hiding their love and having to limit their affections for each other.

But there was a major event coming up in their schedule. It had been early autumn when Gaara had first arrived there in the castle; his coming of age celebration was a bright star approaching on the horizon. He had an early winter birth date, which happened to fall right after the changing of seasons. The months and days are different here, so I shall not confuse you, and the climate is a bit off, too. But this is a fantasy story, what did you expect?

Gaara's annual celebration was three passes of the moon Tirva away, about nine days and nine nights off. They had a little more than a week to prepare, so this contributed to their busy schedules and made it so they spent even less time together. They didn't notice it so much in the day, having to do so many things at once, but the nights were rough. Now Lee was, to a certain extent, becoming an insomniac, while Gaara didn't sleep almost at all. They did all their tasks, but with a forced effort and half-assed smiles. This was not unnoticed, but no one commented on it. Everyone was busy, from the farmers to the royal family itself. The end of autumn meant that they had to harvest all the crops, conduct extra meetings with other countries about trade, and prepare for the Festival of the Harvest, which was to be followed immediately by the Princess' coming of age. Time was stressed; it seemed dreadfully long and franticly short at the same time.

When there were only six days left until Harvest, and seven until Gaara's celebration, Kankuro returned accompanied by the officials of the land he had been staying at. They were there for trade, and Kankuro had decided this would be a good time to head back home. He usually didn't stay so long in other countries, having had been gone for almost half a year, but he had encountered some resistance in the council. The war leader had stayed until all the resistance was turned to reassurance.

Kankuro's return was a welcome occurrence in most cases. Gaara was finally to see his older brother again after all these years. Kankuro knew of the circumstances, so he wouldn't blow Gaara's cover, but he still found it quite odd, and laughed every time he thought of their upcoming encounter. Temari was glad to have her brother back, even though she usually didn't get along too well with him, it was all that hateful sibling love. But the one person who dreaded Kankuro's return like the plague itself was the hapless knight, Lee. He no longer stood close to Gaara during meetings or any other time, for that matter, and kept a constant two to three foot distance between them. Nervous, even though there was no way no way of Kankuro knowing about his activities with Gaara, Lee was freaking out.

So it came as no surprise to anyone when Lee fainted after Kankuro went to shake his hand. Okay, so it did come as a surprise and caused quite the ruckus in the Grand Entrance Hall. Kankuro, having thought he was still on good terms with Lee as he had always been, blamed it on the season. Temari blamed his bad nutrition, and Gaara stood inwardly dumbfounded but outwardly only mildly shocked. The real reason for Lee's sudden spell was a mystery to all of them. No one would have (or should have) guessed that Lee was terrified of having his boss find about his relations with his 'sister;' The classic soap-opera scenario, only completely different.

A fellow knight who had been standing guard at the door immediately took Lee back to his quarters. Kankuro and Temari made for the meeting hall while Gaara somehow got out of having to attend the gathering. He had stated something along the lines of 'Lee's hurt, you can't make me,' but much more convincing than that. So he headed back towards the knights accommodations, though he didn't realize until he was there that he had no idea where Lee's actual room was.

"Is there a problem, your highness?" A knight's voice coming from nowhere visible uttered. Gaara turned to the man behind him, a formless figure among unrecognizable faces.

"Yes, actually. Do you know where the knight Lee's room is?" Gaara was finding it more and more useful being a princess everyday. But he was also learning of all the hardships it brought upon him, too.

"Right this way." The nameless knight replied, leading Gaara halfway down the hall and to the left. "They just dropped him off in there. Do you know why he fell faint? It doesn't seem like something he would normally do, especially in front of Kankuro-san."

"I have no idea, sorry." The man nodded and turned to leave. "Thank you." Gaara said politely, the knight replied with a, "Not a problem, your highness."

That's how the rumor of Lee and the Princess' relationship started among the Knights. They'd all seen the two holding hands and such, but some people still believed it was just Lee's overly polite nature. This is where the group of men, who had more free time than they should've, started to speculate about their affiliation being strictly business or even just friends. So, in the halls of the knight's quarters, you could hear the extravagant rumor of Lee and Gaara's bedding arrangement. When Lee awoke this would just be one more headache to put up with, causing him even more frustration and embarrassment.

But back to the situation at hand, Gaara cautiously opened the medium sized, heavy, oak door that lead into Lee's residence. It was his first time going into someone's private lodgings other than his own since he was little. It wasn't awe striking, it didn't have a lot of extra space, and seemed a little cluttered. But it was breath taking for Gaara, especially the unconscious male that was atop the bed. He closed the door behind him, wanting to keep this vulnerable Lee all to himself. Lee was so innocent looking, so boyish, even though he was more than a year older than Gaara.

Gaara made his way over to Lee's bedside, finding a small chair set by a writing desk and placing it next to the knight's bed. Now that he was here, he had no idea why he had worried and rushed over here. Lee seemed merely asleep, with no say of when he was to awake. It could have happened in minutes, but more likely it'd be hours before the young knight was awake. From the color of his skin and his natural intake and release of breath, Gaara assumed he wasn't damaged, and would be up again sooner rather than later.

The door opening took the 'princess' by surprise as 'she' turned to look, and a man walked into the room, carrying a black case. Gaara had no idea who this person was, and this said person knew exactly who Gaara was, so they took an awkward moment to look at each other. As the medicine man got it through his head that he'd be dealing with the princess as well as the unconscious knight on the bed he stepped forward to introduce himself formally.

"I usually don't have to present myself to unconscious patients, so I beg your pardon for my rude entrance. I see you are here, Gara-hime, so I will introduce myself." At this the man stooped to one knee, as people do when they formally introduce themselves to the royal family. "I am Alexander of the Godiana family, who specialize in medicines and medical care." After his introduction the man rises and walks to the other side of the bed to examine Lee.

"Did he hit his head when he fell?" The doctor, Alexander, asked. It was much easier working on the patient when he could ask someone what had happened.

"No, Kankuro caught him mid-fall and handed him over to a knight who took him here." Gaara said calmly, but really he was kind of nervous. He'd never liked doctors, and recently he didn't like seeing other people touch Lee.

"Okay." Alexander said simply, his hand on Lee's chin as he inspected his face. He lifted the eyelids, checked the pulse, and observed his breathing pattern. He did it quickly and efficiently, but Gaara still thought the doctor spent too much time pawing at Lee. Under Gaara's cold gaze Alexander finished up swiftly, noting that Lee was in perfect health. What caused the sudden spell was a mystery, even to him. Though, he suspected it was something psychological, not physical.

"He's fine, he should awaken soon." The doctor notified Gaara, gathering his medical devices into his bag again.

"Why did he faint?" Gaara asked directly, he wasn't one to shield his bluntness.

"There's nothing physically wrong with him. Though, I suggest that he gets more sleep. I suspect it had something to do with his behavior? You'll have to ask him and find out for yourself. I'll be leaving now, a pleasure meeting you." And with that the doctor left, closing the door behind him.

Now all Gaara could do was wait, and from personal experience, he knew that fainting was a good way to catch up on missed sleep. But he couldn't help but hope for Lee to wake up soon. He pondered, why had Lee fainted if the doctor said he was in good health. Lee had been acting strangely lately, distant and nervous.

The more Gaara thought about it the more he suspected the worst. At first he was worried it had something to do with himself, then he thought that maybe it had something to do with Lee not liking him. Which lead to Gaara suspecting that Lee had someone else he had fallen in love with, which would've explained everything perfectly, in Gaara's belief.

All the while, Lee slept, and when Gaara turned to look at him once more his suspicions faded. Lee was too naïve for something like that, too innocent for something that dramatic. Plus, when would he have time for it? Lee was always by his side or running errands for someone, usually Temari. Gaara let out a hefty sigh of relief. What had he been thinking? He was becoming paranoid, that was it. He just needed to relax, but he realized there was no time for relaxation.

He rested his foot upon his knee, and wondered how much easier it would have been to do that if he hadn't been wearing a dress. All the responsibilities he had as a princess, all the pressure. And what was this whole scandal for? Because he could manipulate sand, but he couldn't even do it very well. He could barely control it, and sometimes he felt as though it was all a misunderstanding. His aunt had taught him how to do a lot more things, but he wished he had had more time to train with her. He still didn't understand it, and never thought he would. He hadn't even done it in a while, he wondered if he still could. They say you lose your gift if you don't exercise it often.

That's when he spotted the potted plant upon a shelf on Lee's wall. He wanted to see, could he still use his gift? There were always some sand particles in the dirt here in Sabaku, which only proved that this once was a desert. Doing as he had been taught, and what was also based off instinct, he focused all his attention on the plant's dirt. Then, grabbing hold of the sand particles that where in there, he tried separating them from the other particles in the mixture. After he had a good amount of sand seeping out of the dirt he lifted his hand, motioning the sand to lift from the pot. It worked, and there was a small cloud of sand hovering around the plant's leaves. With his minds eye he tried to see what he could do with this small mass of sand. He brought it closer to himself, until it floated above his hand. He started by manipulating it into crude shapes, a circle or square. He found he could still do that with ease. He tried snaking it around his fingers, which he also still did gracefully.

Wanting to test himself, he decided to try something else. He moved the sand in a snake like mass towards Lee, up the side of the bed and toward his face. Moving the sand carefully, as to not get any into the orifices on Lee's face, Gaara pushed back the knights bangs, with the same precision he would have if he had used his actual hand. He looked at the knights resting face, the sand still suspended over his brow. The course feel of the sand on his face had the knight stirring in his sleep, and before his eyes could open Gaara quickly moved the sand back into its place.

Slowly, Lee awakened, his round dark eyes opening slowly. He stretched, but stopped mid-stretch when his hand made contact with the red head seated beside his bed. At this touch he immediately retracted his arm and bolted up from his current position.

"Gaara-san, what are you doing here?" Lee said shakily, his movements jerky and his whole demeanor lacking any sort of confidence. Gaara just gave him a small glare, as to say 'Stop acting so erratic.'

"You're the one who fainted." Gaara stated simply. Lee stopped his irregular behavior to try and remember what had happened. After a moment it all came rushing back to him and he blushed under Gaara's cold, intense stare.

"Oh, yeah, about that…" Lee started, unsure of how to explain it, and not sure that even if he found the words to clarify it that he would say anything.

"The doctor said it didn't have anything to do with your health." Gaara continued, and decided to start his inquisition. "So why did you suddenly pass out?"

Lee, knowing one way or another Gaara was always going to get answers from him, decided against trying to lie or make up some excuse. "I was nervous."

"About what?" Gaara asked, still not knowing how that would cause someone to fall faint.

"Well, it seems a bit foolish, but I was concerned Kankuro-san might suspect something." Lee replied shyly.

"Suspect something? As in what?" Gaara, frank as ever against Lee's shy tendencies.

"You know, as in us." Lee confessed quietly, but Gaara still didn't see the problem.

"You're afraid of him knowing about our relationship?" The crimson haired teen didn't see a complication, though it was probably because he didn't care about most others opinions.

"He might not approve, you know. And he's your brother, also my boss. I thought he might…" Lee didn't finish, seeing the disapproving look on Gaara's features.

"It shouldn't matter." Gaara said, not angrily, but on the verge of it. "And it doesn't matter. Is that really why you fainted? You're that scared of people finding out about our relationship?" Gaara wouldn't get angry with Lee, but he was displeased with him, and that hurt Lee even more.

"I'm sorry, it's just that…" Lee couldn't finish; he didn't know why it was such a problem. Why should they hide it, why did he want to keep it a secret?

"It's nothing, you shouldn't worry about it. If you keep trying to hide it, if you keep freaking out at the thought of other people finding out, then it's hopeless." Gaara was solemn, and the way he was talking of this frightened Lee.

"What do you mean, 'hopeless'?" Lee questioned quietly.

"As in there's no chance of it happening. If you refuse to accept the fact that sooner or later our relationship must go public then we can't have one. I must announce my fiancé on my eighteenth birthday or be courted by the surrounding kingdoms princes." The 'princess' looked at Lee, and his gaze made Lee's words falter. The knight had known of the customs of the country, but he had refused to accept it. He didn't want to acknowledge any of it; he just wanted everything to stay uncomplicated. But it looked like he had to make a choice. To either live an uncomplicated life without being intimate with Gaara, or to get through the complications and pledge himself to Gaara, as a husband.

"I'm sorry, but it's all happening so fast!" Lee was overwhelmed; he didn't like how this was all playing out.

"If you can't take the pace then I guess it's doomed to fail. Because in less than a week I'm to announce whether or not I have found a suitable suitor. And if I haven't Temari is to arrange for my meetings with other men. But everything would be more complicated that way." Now Gaara was downhearted, he really didn't want to meet with other men, he really didn't want to do any of this. And it'd be so much easier if Lee would just grow a pair and become self-confident. He looked away, and fixed his gaze on the door. He just couldn't take looking into the eyes of the man who held his future in his hands.

Lee quietly moved towards the edge of the bed, knowing he needed to consol this dejected teen. If he thought he was overwhelmed, how must Gaara feel? It was his life that was going to change the most. And he needed someone to support him through thick and thin.

"You needn't go looking, you've got someone right here." Lee said, placing his hand on Gaara's chin, turning him so that they faced each other. Lee may act with all the cliché possible, but he still got his point across.

"I'm glad." Gaara said, a small smile gracing his lips before they were pursued by the knights. And any doubts about their predicament were washed away by this kiss.

Again the door opened abruptly. This time the one coming into the room was Kankuro-san himself. Even Gaara's face was a little flushed at this.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

I'm so sorry! You don't know how bad I feel that I haven't updated in so long. Thank you ever so much for putting up with me. My only explination is that my Grandmother just passed away, right before x-mas, I've just come to terms with it. And it still slows me down, I'm sorry, she lived with us and the house feels empty with out her, even thouh there's still seven of us. I'm getting to the plot, I promise. There's some in here, and some of it has been revealed already, but not all of it. Gaara and Lee's engagement? That's just the beginning. I'll try and update soon, but I can't make any promises. A big thank you to anyone and everyone who reads this. And a huge thanks to those of you who review, it really makes my day.


	9. Of Woes and Fesitvals

Chapter 9: Of Woes and Festivals

Even though Gaara had claimed that Kankuro's approval didn't matter, it really did. Luckily for them, Temari had warned him in advance. So Lee had had nothing to worry about in the first place, Kankuro had already known.

Lee and Gaara separated quickly, the knight sporting an obviously larger amount of red on his features. Gaara had a little bit of light pink masking him, but Kankuro seemed oddly calm. You'd think he'd have at least some sign of shock on his face.

"I didn't believe her at first, but strangely enough, you two do seem to make a good match." Kankuro stated lightly, almost snickering. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the inevitable apology Lee was going to give him.

"I'm so sorry Kankuro-san, if you could ever forgive me for…" Came the lame explanation, and Kankuro decided to save them all the trouble of listening to it all and stopped Lee before he could get started.

"Sorry? For what? I can't think of any reason why you'd need to apologize to me. In fact…" Kankuro came into the room, and the door swiftly shut behind him. "If anything we should celebrate!" He said grandly, as he gave Lee a congratulatory slap on the back. Which had the poor knight reeling onto his knees and off the bed. Usually, he'd be able to take something like that without budging, but all the nervousness drained him of any strength he might have once possessed.

"Look at what you've done now." Gaara said simply, helping Lee back to his feet. Lee leaned on Gaara for a moment, but then remembered what he had told himself earlier. If anyone needed someone to lean on right now, it was Gaara. And Lee would at least feign confidence if it meant pleasing his 'princess.'

"No, it's fine. I'm just a little weak on my feet after that sudden spell." Lee said, standing assertively by Gaara's side. Kankuro gave them another observing glance.

"And Lee's extra height masks your masculinity completely, she was right." He said, smirking. Gaara gave him an 'Oh you're so not comical' grin and made a noise of detest.

"Isn't that the point?" Gaara said, giving Kankuro a slight glare.

"Yes, I guess you're right. And it's better this way, because now we don't have to deal with all those obnoxious princes who thought they'd get a shot at being your betrothed." Kankuro pointed out, still laughing inwardly at the whole situation.

Better late than never, Temari appeared at the door and came in to join the congregation. "So, what were they up to when you got here? I'm sorry I had to miss it, had to send off all those pestering guests." She said, as she looked from Kankuro to the two men in question.

"Nothing too bad, I just seemed to have interrupted a passionate make-out session." Kankuro replied grinning, knowing he might have exaggerated.

"I'm sorry, Temari-san, really…" Lee tried to start again, but the siblings were getting better and better at cutting him off.

"Cut it out with all the apologies. If my little brother really has chosen you, and you're going to become apart of this family, you need to grow a spine." Temari scolded, just as harsh as her brothers. They were what Lee needed to get better at being self-confident, but maybe this wasn't the best thing for his health.

"You should really specify when you say 'younger brother.' Don't get me confused with little miss princess over here." Kankuro teased, motioning to the cross-dressing male beside Lee. Gaara grimaced, and gave Kankuro a harsh glare to show his displeasure.

"At least I don't play with dolls." Gaara said, revealing Kankuro's hidden fetish. He'd been carving his own play toys since they were little and Gaara knew he still possessed that habit.

"They're more like effigies anyway. Or maybe I'm dabbling in dark magic? Be careful, they might be used to manipulate unsuspecting victims." Kankuro taunted right back, not missing a beat. If Lee hadn't been in the room it would have been an all out show down.

"Okay, I think that's enough." Temari said unexpectedly, and looked out the window to see about what time it was. "We have to be at another meeting soon, so come on." She added, starting towards the door. But Lee beat her to it and held the door open for them.

"Already? I need a break, I just got back!" Kankuro complained as he followed Temari out the door.

"That's why I planed all the meetings for right after you got back, so you wouldn't have time to go out with your associates and get completely intoxicated." Temari replied swiftly, smiling. Gaara and Lee followed them out and down the hallway.

"Are you sure you're feeling well enough for this?" Gaara asked Lee, remembering how easily Kankuro had knocked him over.

"You need someone to be at your side, right?" Lee remarked, grinning at Gaara. The red head didn't outwardly smile, but looked somewhat reassured. "I assure you, I'm fine."

"If you're well enough to spew that obvious come on, I'm sure you're fine." Gaara now smirked as the knight's face heated up. They followed Temari and Kankuro into the Meeting Hall for another monotonous gathering. But at least there was an at peace air about them that cleared the tedium, somewhat.

Another few days passed without any other major altercations. It was wearisome, to say the least. Their days were busy until the middle of the night, and the nights were hardest on the boys, especially with the upcoming betrothal.

The more Lee thought about it, the stronger he decided he had to become, and the more he was worried about his position. He didn't see anything wrong with being with Gaara; actually, he was joyous beyond words that he was to become the man's fiancé. But he was really worried that Gaara was just rushing into this without thinking ahead. Lee had been his only friend and companion inside these castle walls, but that didn't mean he felt anything beyond friendship for him. Gaara had never really been with anyone beside the knight; maybe he just didn't know what it would be like to spend time with someone else. What if later on Gaara regretted this? Lee could never regret it, but Gaara was in a very noble position. Gaara was the princess, and Lee was but a lowly knight. What would everyone else think of this arrangement? And if Gaara was the princess, marrying him would make Lee a prince. In Sabaku, a prince usually didn't have much power, the women of Sabaku ruled completely. Being a prince in the family usually meant living a life of luxury without much work at all. Most wouldn't think this a problem, but Lee was not a typical sort of person.

In the middle of one of these sleepless nights Lee made his way to Gaara's chambers. He was going to see if Gaara was awake, which, more likely than not, he was. Gaara had told Lee that he could enter his room whenever he wanted, needless to say Lee had been too nervous to be that brazen. But now he needed answers, and he wasn't going to get a chance like this again before the harvest, which was the next day.

The knight meekly cracked the door open and peered inside. He had never been in the room in the dark of the night, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust from the torches out in the hall to the sudden almost complete darkness of the princess's quarters. When he could finally see the forms of objects in the darkness of the starlit room he noticed Gaara's figure upon the bed, it seemed to be asleep. So Lee, slightly crestfallen, quietly backed away, and started to shut the door. But a voice stopped him, and he looked into the room once again.

"I said come in already." Even Gaara's soft voice carried in the darkness. Lee cautiously moved into the dim room once more, closing the elegant door behind him. In shadow, the crimson of the room was a pale black or deep amethyst. The teen before Lee moved, so that the knight could see his face as he moved ever closer to that glamorous bed once more. In the spur of the moment, of all the things that could happen and were happening in Lee's mind, the knight almost forgot why he was here in the first place.

"I'm sorry if I awoke you." Lee apologized faintly, still a good seven feet from the princess.

"I wasn't asleep to begin with." Gaara replied, sitting up against the pillowed headboard. He propped his elbow on his knee and rested his head onto that hand, still facing Lee's vague form against the starlight. "Take a seat, no one's watching." Gaara teased and Lee finally moved to seat himself on the edge of the bed closest to Gaara. Then he rested his head on the pillowed headboard, and they both looked overly tired for two happy young men soon to be engaged.

"I'm sorry…" Lee started again, but was cut off after only that.

"Quit the apologies, there's never anything to be sorry for." Gaara scolded, he was more like his siblings than he would ever admit. They would break Lee of his habit and force him to be self-confident, no matter the circumstances.

"I'm s- I mean, okay." Lee finally said, sighing into the headboard. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

"They can't wait?" Gaara asked, again on the verge of betraying annoyance. "Soon we are to become fiancés, then we'll have more time for these things."

"It's about that." The knight replied timidly. When Gaara didn't respond Lee assumed he could ask his questions. "Well, are you sure about this? I mean, you won't regret choosing me later on, will you?" The ebony haired male finally expressed his woes, turning towards Gaara as he waited for an answer.

"It's not like I have much of a choice in the matter." Gaara didn't look at Lee as he spoke; apparently, he had been thinking this over, too.

"Of course you do, you could have chosen anyone." Lee said, looking at Gaara as he continued to look away.

"That's where you're wrong. Could I really have chosen anyone else?" The crimson haired young man asked, not wanting an answer. "You're the obvious and the only choice, by far." At this Gaara finally looked into Lee's eyes, finding that he was still not at ease.

"Would you like to know why you're the only one?" Gaara said, and Lee replied with a solemn nod. "Reason one, because you have accepted me and shown your skill at hiding my gender." Maybe this wasn't the greatest time for Lee to notice that under that blanket Gaara was wearing little to nothing. "Reason two is that you are already a citizen of Sabaku, and already apart of the castle." Gaara was stating the facts, and they did seem to make things more believable. Or maybe Lee just wanted to accept it and move on because Gaara's upper half was exposed to him? No, what Gaara was saying definitely made sense, but he'd have to think about it later on, when he was not seated next to him in bed.

"And another reason is that we seem to share a mutual affection for each other, that's always good for a long term relationship." Gaara stated, still meticulously listing off reasons for the already convinced knight. Maybe he shouldn't have come here in the middle of the night. But it was too late to leave anytime soon now. And Lee quickly closed the gap between the two boys with a tight embrace.

"I love you, too, Gaara." Lee said smiling. The words Gaara had used had been too stiff; Lee had to express his emotions like a normal teen would. And at this Gaara returned his embrace, with a blissfully sad look upon his face. Everything would turn out fine, right?

"At least take off your shoes before ambushing me in my own bed." Gaara said after a long, peaceful moment. Lee quickly got off of the crimson haired boy and made his way to the edge of the bed again. "And leave the chain mail over there, also." Gaara said, and Lee obeyed, unlacing his work boots, slipping them off and then removing his heavy shirt of chain. Now that he too was shirtless he felt a little sheepish about crawling into Gaara's bed.

Lee hesitated, he didn't know if he should do this while he was already so confused about his relationship with Gaara. They had messed around before but what if Gaara wanted to go past that? "Um… Gaara?" Lee said quietly, turning towards him but not moving any closer to him just yet.

"Just come over here, we don't have to do anything if you don't want to." Gaara demanded softly, and Lee let out a sigh of relief. He moved towards Gaara, who motioned for him to join him under the covers. It was kind of cold in Gaara's room, since there was a massive window and no torches lit, so Lee was obliged to cover himself.

Despite what Gaara had said about not doing anything he still possessively put his arms around Lee's neck and placed his body against the knights. Having the boy on top of this made Lee nervous, they'd gone through something like this before, but Lee didn't feel up to it. He was too worried about everything to let his libido take over. He made a small sound of protest, even though his body welcomed the feeling.

"Shh," Gaara shushed, placing his face in the crook of the knight's neck. "You can sleep, I won't do anything." The teen said, his lips grazing the skin on Lee's nape, almost making him shiver with pleasure. But he really was tired, and this bed was so comfortable. Before he could even think about protesting he was asleep, his arms wrapped securely around Gaara.

Though the 'princess' didn't sleep, he stayed in a dream-like state, trying to merge himself with Lee, it seemed. He couldn't possibly worry half as much with those strong, lean, and scarred arms embracing him for at least the remainder of the night. Luckily it was winter, so the night was longer and the day started later.

This day would start at the crack of dawn, though, and would be especially hectic. As soon as there was the slightest bit of pink in the sky the bells were wrung throughout the castle, making the knight below Gaara sit up rapidly, knocking Gaara to the side.

"What happened?" Lee said, looking around frantically when he realized he wasn't in his own bed.

"The Festival's happening, don't be a fool." Gaara said, sitting up with Lee, his legs still atop Lee's. When Lee noticed his lack of clothing, and saw that Gaara was wearing only his sleeping shorts, he freaked.

"What happened?" He repeated, but it was a totally different question. Gaara gave him an annoyed look before answering.

"Nothing, you came in here and fell asleep." Gaara explained, hoping Lee's memory would catch up with him soon.

"So we didn't do anything?" Lee replied with a question, trying to find out where his mind currently was. It didn't seem to be in his head.

"No, we didn't even go beyond an embrace." The red head seemed bothered by this, but tried not to let it show. They'd get more time together after he announced their engagement, of course.

"Sorry." Lee said, still forgetting not to apologize. But he leaned towards Gaara and brought their lips together, so Gaara didn't have time to point out his mistake. When Lee started to pull his head back slowly, the younger teen put himself over Lee and straddled his hips. Since Lee's mind wasn't currently in he didn't see a problem with them doing this and ignored the fact that the festival was already staring.

Lee brought his mouth to Gaara's again after getting a good breath in him. In no time Lee felt the other male nipping at his lower lip, almost too passionately. And Lee started to slip his tongue into the mouth of the other boy, as he brought his hands to the small of Gaara's back, daring to enter the male's shorts.

The younger teenager pushed the elder one down, wanting to keep him there for as long as possible. But it didn't get to stay that way very much longer. Just as Lee's mind started to drift back into his head the entrance to Gaara's bedroom seemed to burst open.

"I knew you two would be up to something. Just when I don't need it! Hurry up and get presentable, be down in the hall in ten minutes or else!" Temari practically screamed at them, after barging into the room unannounced. Needless to say, this shocked Lee so bad he literally jumped right out of the bed and was half dressed before Temari even had time to leave the room again. Gaara, on the other hand, just slowly got out of the bed and gave a sigh of disappointment.

"How many times has this happened to us? Someone must not like us very much." He said, referencing to how their passion had once again been interrupted by someone coming into the room. He swore that the next time this happened he wouldn't care anymore, and he'd continue to have his way with Lee even if someone was watching.

"What?" Lee said, his shirt on backwards, his shoes untied and on the wrong feet. Seeing Gaara still not even attempting to get dressed he frowned. "Do you need some help?" Lee said, even though he looked like he needed some help at the moment.

"No, I can get myself ready. You better go change, you've only got about nine minutes left." Gaara said, almost teasingly. Lee gave him a priceless look of bewilderment, and then was off to his room.

"I'll see you again in only a few moments, Gaara." Lee said, a wild grin on his face as he shut the door behind him and ran down the hall at top speed. Gaara walked over to the door and pressed his ear against it, waiting for the inevitable. In another moment he heard Lee as he fell on his face and let out a loud "Ow!" Gaara hadn't bothered to tell Lee his shoes were still untied.

Gaara walked back towards his armoire as he chuckled to himself. He couldn't help it, Lee was just too amusing. He opened the doors of the tall cabinet to find the gown Temari had instructed him to wear beforehand. It was the Sabaku colors for the official Harvest Day, black and orange. It was quite the gown, princess cut and full length, bishop sleeves, full circular skirt, with off the shoulder sleeves. The mid section of the dress was black, and so were the sleeves. A deep orange was used for the main part of the dress, and orange string was looped through the front part of the dress, over the back, creating a simple yet elegant pattern. For some unknown reason, Gaara found himself actually liking this dress a lot.

He quickly found his cotton and wrappings on the bottom of the armoire and strapped himself up. After he believed his fake breasts were secure he easily slipped into his refined gown. He then quickly put his black slippers on and made his way towards his bathing room. Grabbing the hairbrush and running it through his crimson locks he felt the need to hurry. Oh yes, if he didn't get over there soon Temari just might destroy him. After his hair was done he placed a bit of perfume on himself. He wanted to be presentable, today there would be a lot of foreigners in the castle, and he didn't want to seem improper.

Gaara was downstairs right on time, before Lee and after Temari had begun pacing. "There you are! Where's Lee?" She asked, looking around to see if he was hiding for some reason.

"He went back to his room to get ready, I haven't seen him since then." Gaara reported, remembering how Lee had fell onto his face. Maybe he was still bleeding and that was the problem? Just as Temari was going to start loosing her sanity Lee appeared running down the hallway towards them.

"I'm sorry, Temari-san, am I late?" Lee said, his nose still bleeding. He held a kerchief to it but that didn't make it any less obvious that it was broken.

"Lee, your nose is broken. Go to a medical assistant immediately, I don't want to see you until your face has stopped bleeding." She said, giving Lee a stern look. "I've got Gaara, go!" Lee nodded pathetically. Gaara had to admit, he was dressed well for a man with a profusely bleeding face. But as a large drop of Lees blood escaped the handkerchief and fell to the floor Gaara felt something inside him stir. It was a bloodthirsty impulse he hadn't been familiar with before, and it passed as quickly as it came. Lee dashed away, off to find someone to fix his face.

"Come, Gaara, everyone's awaiting your arrival at the gathering." Temari said, finally smiling. It may have to be frantic, but this day wouldn't be too bad, especially considering how well it had started.

They left the castle through the overly tall double front doors. The sun greeted them as the entered the courtyard, and Gaara's eye's failed him for a moment. The sunlight was intense at first, but pleasing after his eyes adjusted. When was the last time he had been outside? It seemed like forever ago.

Princess Gaara was greeting by cheers of approval and excitement. The foreigners, and most of the people of Sabaku, had never seen the princess before. Gaara couldn't even think of backing away from all these people, because even if he could, Temari would probably kill him if he didn't talk to each and everyone of the nobles. He started with the closest group, shaking hands and learning names. He'd never remember any of the names people were giving him, so he didn't see the point. But he put up with it, and was proud of how well he faked a smile and happy greeting. He continued through the crowd, the band arriving after him and playing soft music so people could dance and celebrate. There was food, but Gaara could never make it over there. When he thought he was finally going to get a break a rich merchant's son, or a younger noble would ask him for a dance. He was now grateful to his aunt for the dancing instructions she had given him.

Midday came before Gaara even got over to the refreshments, and while the sun was still directly overhead Lee finally arrived. He had a cloth band-aid over his nose to help it heal right and adorned an enormous grin when he at last spotted Gaara. He somehow made his way through the crowd to stand by Gaara's side. The princess had currently been dancing with another young male when Lee approached. He bent to one knee formally, completely ignoring the man that currently had Gaara in his grasp.

"I'm so sorry for my late arrival, your highness." Lee said, being as cordial and formal as possible. The other man backed away, finally getting that Gaara wasn't going to continue dancing with him.

"I'll see you later, Gaara-hime." The man said with a smile and a wink. Gaara didn't even acknowledge his absence, just like he had never acknowledged his presence.

"Lee, stand up. We're past this." Gaara sighed, even though he found Lee absolutely adorable with that bandage on his nose and that solemn look upon his face. Lee quickly obeyed and stood, brushing the dirt off of his pants.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to act more like your body guard." Lee said, as if they were undercover and he needed to act like he had when they first met.

"Why?" Gaara said, placing his hand of his hip and giving Lee an exasperated look.

"So no one suspects anything." Lee said in a frantic whisper. Gaara almost rolled his eyes at this. He was tired of this, already tired of this day, these people, how Lee was acting in this crowd, how he hadn't even gotten to get a drink yet. He didn't normally swear, but fuck everyone! He was going to drink Lee's saliva, right here, right now.

"Suspect, oh no one's going to suspect a thing." He truly smiled for the first time that day as he pulled himself toward the knight and pulled the knights head to his. Lee had left his mouth open in surprise, mistake one. Mistake two was not pushing Gaara away instantly, because now he was going to have his way. He immediately pushed his parched tongue into Lee's mouth and found some refreshing liquid there. And when Lee pulled his face away there was a small string of saliva going from his mouth to Gaara's. Gaara licked his lips in satisfaction. "No, they won't suspect a thing. They'll know it to be fact."

The crowd was awestruck, and open mouthed at this sudden turn of events. The older nobles turned their backs, saying that it was utterly inappropriate. The younger generation all had pink in their cheeks at the sudden intense display of affection. And some middle-aged men turned to their wives and asked why they never did anything like that anymore.

Gaara, on the other hand, couldn't care less. Actually, he was quite pleased. Now those young men had finally stopped bothering him. "Come, Lee, I'm thirsty." Gaara said, grabbing the dazed knight's hand. He practically dragged the male behind him as he made his way over to the refreshments.

Lee was completely speechless, and his face was a deep shade of red. He followed Gaara obediently, and didn't even see all the people giving him peculiar looks. The knight was focused on Gaara, and if this had happened any earlier in their relationship, he might have run away screaming. But he wasn't going to be nervous, he would just ignore all the others. Maybe eventually, he'd become confident enough to come face to face with them. He made a pact with himself; he'd become a better person, in the name of his love for Gaara.

The man on the knight's mind, however, was currently preoccupied with the refreshments upon the table. The table was actually a few of the castles tables brought out here for the occasion, and being thus they were very grand. There was much to choose from, but now that Gaara was over here he found he didn't have much of an appetite. He'd wait until the dinner banquet to eat. For now he'd grab a glass of wine and be done with it.

"Would you like a glass, Lee?" Gaara said, pouring his own glass as Lee stood silently beside him. Gaara thought for sure Lee was going to freak out and tell him how insane that last stunt was, but to his surprise Lee didn't make a complaint.

"That's wine, is it not?" Lee asked, looking curiously over at the liquid in Gaara's cup.

"Yes, it's tradition to drink wine at the festivals." Gaara replied, and Lee shook his head.

"Then no thank you, I'm good." Lee nearly backed away from the substance, almost like he was afraid of it. Gaara realized he had never seen Lee drink any sort of alcohol before, he always insisted on water or fruit juice.

"Is there any reason you refuse to drink alcohol?" Gaara asked, taking a sip of the wine after he looked up at Lee.

"It has a rather unhealthy effect on me." Lee said, looking away as he remembered the first, and the last, time he had drank some of that accursed liquid. Gaara took note of this in his mind. One of these days he'd see what this 'unhealthy effect' was for himself. From the sound of it, this effect seemed very amusing.

Gaara noticed that they were now getting a bit more personal space after that public display of affection. He didn't care what other people thought; he actually enjoyed the newfound silence. The small band had trouble starting up again, and the people talked in rapid whispers in their different groups. Gossip, the high classed women loved gossip almost as much as they loved their overly expensive jewels. Some women lived for gossip; others just participated for the excitement there was in every new rumor.

But who really needed to care? Tomorrow he was to announce Lee and himself fiancés. The rumors would only last the rest of this day, not long enough to cause any harm. And a few rumors might prove to be very interesting. If anyone offended him after tomorrow anyway, he'd just ordered him or her exiled. After tomorrow, a lot of things might change.

As Gaara was thinking of this and sipping at his glass of wine neither he nor Lee noticed an irritated looking Temari coming their way. She tapped Gaara on the shoulder and managed to keep her voice down to a loud whisper. "What were you thinking? Let me guess, you weren't thinking, were you?" Temari was pretty stressed over this ordeal, especially when compared to the tranquil Gaara. He didn't even miss a beat, and replied as soon as his glass had left his lips.

"I was thinking that I would finally get to have some entertainment for myself." Gaara smirked at his sister, and Lee stood by his side, looking horribly guilty.

"You're lucky that you're coming of age tomorrow anyway. Just don't do it again, and don't talk to anyone yet. It'll take me little while to get them back on your side. Hopefully nothing too bad will happen before the engagement is announced tomorrow. I don't think word spreads that fast." She now focused back on Gaara completely, giving him a look that cold send a chill down even his spine. "And if we loose any connections because of that little fiasco, I'll have your head served to the offended to appease them." With that she walked away, off to mend broken trusts. She really was a great asset to the country, if not only for her intimidating presence.

Gaara turned to Lee, setting his now empty glass onto the table. Lee looked at him, and Gaara could have sworn he saw a new fire in Lee's eyes that he hadn't noticed before. Lee was determined, and nothing could deter this knight when he was unwavering. What he was so resolute to do, well, that was a bit tough to explain. He was going to be absolutely faithful to Gaara, and do everything in his power for him. That would be better than hindering the 'princess' with his constant doubts.

"Dance with me." Gaara said suddenly, turning to face Lee as Lee turned to face him. Lee simply nodded, smiling.

"I would be honored." Lee replied as he took his princess' hand, leading them towards the area marked off for ballroom dancing. He knew the basic steps of the waltz, but was sure he must have developed two left feet, for he was very bad at dancing. Nonetheless, he didn't want to disappoint Gaara, so he placed one of his hands on Gaara's hip and the other hand entwined with Gaara's. Gaara placed his free hand on Lee's shoulder, grinning.

When Lee didn't start dancing, Gaara wondered if he would have to lead. "Do you know how to dance?" Gaara asked, looking up at Lee, who blushed slightly at the comment.

"Of course I know how to dance, it just took me a second to remember." Lee replied too quickly, but Gaara decided to let him have a go at it.

In another moment, when the music had just begun to pick up again, Lee fell into step, Gaara following his lead. 1-2-3, 1-2-3, Lee tried to remember in his mind where his feet were supposed to go, and they started a rough waltz. Lee would almost trip, but Gaara was always one step ahead, compensating for Lee's being one step behind. Soon Gaara was shadow leading Lee into a graceful waltz, and it was eye-catching to all the people around them. The standardization of Lee's formal knights attire was plain enough against Gaara's elegant ball gown to make it seem even more brilliant, making the couple look very handsome together. Lee's blunt height also made Gaara look more and more like a real princess. Well, he was a real princess, other than the not actually being a female part.

Without realizing it, the two had started a gathering on the dance floor. Well, it was really just a squared off section of the courtyard, but soon it was filling to the brim with couples. Gaara and Lee still got a certain amount of space, since no one wanted to interrupt their graceful routine. There were elegant lifts, positively amazing flares of the skirts, and all the bodies seemed to be in perfect tune to the music, even the elder couples look magnificent going at their unhurried pace. And thus the festival was back to normal, no awkwardness was shown. It had either dissipated or was being hidden with great care. After another song or two, you couldn't tell since the music blended together so nicely, Lee and Gaara left the crowed dancing area. They joined the other people who had either already tired of dancing or just hadn't danced in the first place.

No longer ignored, a noble came to Gaara straight away, intercepting the two men almost before they had left the dance floor. Stepping away from the dancing group, Gaara conversed politely with the high official for a while. Lee stood readily by his side, silent unless spoken to, and polite in answering any questions asked of him.

Gaara quickly grew bored of being acknowledged again, but put up with it. It was only an hour until the banquet was too begin, since it began in the late afternoon and ended late into the evening. Gaara and Lee spent the next hour caught in conversations. Hours passed by quickly during the afternoon, it seemed. Maybe because they weather was so nice, the land didn't want to spoil its people.

The bells were wrung again, not for the time, but for the staring of a feast. Everyone headed towards the dinning hall, which had been situated for more people than it was usually accustomed to. But Gaara and Lee were granted seats near the head of the largest table. Temari still sat at the head of the table, since she was still in charge for this festival.

There were people everywhere, Gaara noted. He hadn't realized just how many royals and upperclassmen had attended the festival here at the castle. All the tables were full to the brim with people, chatting away with their neighbors about politics, war, commerce, and such other topics. But all the people were silenced when the food started arriving, brought in by various, well kept, kitchen slaves.

Since it was overly rude to talk with food in your mouth, it was finally relatively quiet, as quiet as it had been all day. Gaara relished in the fact that he could finally hear himself think clearly, and almost didn't eat; he was enjoying the cease of the nonsensical chatter so much. He only realized he wasn't eating when Lee nudged him and gave him an "are you okay?" look. Knights usually weren't allowed to sit with the nobles at any gathering, but they all had learned early on that Lee was the exception. If they had forced Lee to sit elsewhere Gaara would have simply followed him, pleased that he would get to sit away from the aristocratic, self centered, busy bodies. But if Gaara left the dining hall, Temari knew that they'd have problems with the nobles, so Lee was allowed wherever Gaara was. He was 'her' bodyguard, and that seemed justification enough.

The food was splendid, as it always was. It was nice to live in such a flourishing country, and if they weren't so far east of the coast they might have had struggles against invading territories trying to conquer this rich land. Luckily, Sabaku was never really bothered with war. Sabaku had only taken part in two wars, once in aiding an ally and another time to defend itself. They had shown that even though they weren't apart of the warring states they could put up a better than decent fight.

Gaara had wine to accompany his dinner, like most of the other nobles. Lee, on the other hand, asked one of the servants politely for a glass of water instead. Before he was finished eating, Gaara had downed at least three glasses of wine. He noted the tipsy feeling he had accomplished, and no one seemed to have noticed just how much he had had, and kept offering him more. After about the fifth glass he had to relief himself, and decided now was a good time to leave the festival. After the dinner they didn't have anymore to do for the festival anyway.

"I'll be retreating to my quarters now." Gaara announced to anyone listening, and stood up, leaning against the table. Lee noticed his unsteadiness and got up to nonchalantly put his arm through Gaara's, giving him much needed help to walk without revealing Gaara's unstable legs. As they left the dinning hall, Lee turned to look at Gaara with concern.

"How many glasses have you had today?" Lee said, noticing the redness in Gaara's cheeks and the drooping of his eyelids. Not to mention how heavily Gaara was leaning against him, he was practically carrying him.

"Today? I think I only had six or seven glasses." Gaara said, calm and sure, even in his drunken haze.

"That's more than three times the amount of alcohol you usually have!" Lee used a loud whisper, now worried about Gaara's health.

"It doesn't matter, take me to the nearest rest room before I soil this gown." Gaara replied, and Lee obeyed, taking him towards the lavatory. Gaara looked unstable, and Lee could even see his eyes glazed over in the torchlight.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Lee remarked, letting his concern be known. They approached the facility, but Lee didn't know if he should leave Gaara alone, even if it was just to use the rest room. He looked extremely close to passing out.

"I'll be fine as soon as I'm done, wait here." Gaara said, detaching himself from Lee to stumble into the lavatory. He left Lee to wait worriedly in the hall, and Lee almost burst in after him, but decided on listening with his ear nearly against the door instead.

Why would Gaara get intoxicated like that? Unless he was stressed about something, Lee thought. He knew men who drank to get away from their troubles. Actually, that's why most people got inebriated. So what was Gaara so anxious about? Of course, Lee realized, he was worried about tomorrow, right? Who wouldn't be? It was going to be a hectic day, so Lee would be here for him now, then, and forever. He didn't hear Gaara vomit, that was a good sign. But it just meant that he'd be sick in the morning when he wouldn't need that sort of thing.

Gaara emerged from the rest room, still completely unstable. Lee put his arm around Gaara's waist to support him without saying a word. And they moved in a comfortable silence towards Gaara's bedroom. When they arrived at the intricate French doors, though, Lee hesitated.

"Can I spend the night in your quarters again, Gaara-hime?" Lee said smirking, being overly polite, but in a mocking sort of way.

"Just get us in there already, Mr. Lee." Gaara replied, shifting his weight completely against Lee. The dark haired knight obeyed and opened the door, practically dragging Gaara into the room. Gaara didn't feel like walking at all anymore and just let Lee move his practically limp body as he wanted. Once the door was shut behind them, though, Gaara sprung into action. He placed his arms around the knight's waist and stood on the tips of his toes to press his lips, along with the rest of his lithe body, against the knight. He pushed Lee back against the door he had just closed, and locked it himself this time.

"Carry me to the bed, I don't think I can make it." Gaara teased as he had his lips against Lee's. Lee laid one more kiss upon those soft lips before picking Gaara up bridal style and gently laying him upon the bed. Gaara pulled him down against him with little to no effort as Lee fell upon him. Their lips melded together once more as they tried to burn their anxieties away with scorching passion. Lee was determined to please Gaara, and Gaara was determined to keep Lee. Neither one of them knowing that they both needed to do nothing more to achieve those goals.

As their mouths opened and their tongues intersected Lee could taste the alcohol. And even in that small of a quantity, it was enough to get him a little tipsy, too. Lee soon had his hand traveling towards Gaara's ass and Gaara already had his hand up Lee's shirt. Lee, feeling a bit more adventurous than usual, hiked up Gaara's dress so that he could put his hand up the skirt instead of just trying to feel through it.

"Nhg, Lee," Gaara hissed through his lips that were currently attached to Lee's. He clutched at Lee harder, and tried to bring him even closer that he already was. But even as he felt Lee against him his senses were darkening. He could barely open his eyes again, to look a Lee. And as he held the knight as tightly as he could to himself he felt an odd sensation. He realized it was nothing more than the forgotten exhaustion he hadn't experienced in so long. Maybe he shouldn't have had so much to drink. Now he was going to fall asleep right before what could have been a satisfying night with Lee.

Lee, whose hand was currently up Gaara's skirt, noticed the instant when Gaara fell asleep. First he embarrassedly pulled his hand from Gaara's ass and propped himself over the now sleeping teen. Gaara was cutely and deeply in slumber, and Lee couldn't help but place another light kissed upon those tantalizing lips. Which resulted in a small smile forming onto said lips.

The knight then took to the task of tucking the princess in, moving him gently and cautiously under the large blanket. Once tucked in, Lee moved Gaara's hair away from his scar and kissed the foreign mark. Lee then took of his boots and over shirts and climbed into bed next to Gaara. As the knight placed himself under the covers and next to the love of his life, he interlaced their fingers. And in a moment the male rolled over in his sleep, coming to rest halfway on top of Lee. The knight smiled at the crimson haired boy, who still had a faint drunken blush, even in his sleep.

"I love you." Lee whispered, and those were the last words said until daylight. Too bad Gaara wasn't awake to hear them.

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

I'm so sorry! (Wait, is this even late?) Whatever, I wanted to have this out earlier but I couldn't find a good spot to end this chapter, so it turned out to be about 14 pages long. (In word document, of course.) I'm stressed right now, I put too much onto my plate all at once and it's freaking me out. I wanted to have the next chapter out by the 19th. (Because it's Gaara's birthday in the story and it would be Gaara's birthday in real life.) But I don't think I'm going to get another MAJOR chapter done that quickly. (A lot of things must happen soon for the plot to go the way I want it to.) So I'll probably end up writing him a one shot for his birthday, like I did for Lee. Keep an eye out for that, and thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed my writing.


	10. And A Very Merry Birthday To You

Chapter 10: And a Very Merry Birthday to You

The sun barely had enough time to peer into the windows of that grand room before the two boys were suddenly awoken by a harsh, loud, insistent knock at the door. The knight was up first, seeing as he wasn't the one with the hangover. He went to the door, forgetting that he was wearing only his sleeveless undershirt and pants, opened it so that he could see who was there, and they could see him, but they couldn't see into the room. It was a maid, and she looked rather shocked to be greeted by Lee instead of Gaara.

"Oh, Temari-sama just asked me to make sure her highness was awake…" She stopped and looked at Lee's bed head, blushing slightly. "But I see you can help her highness get ready, so I'll just go back and report to Temari-sama." And with that, the maid was gone; a slight blush still on her features while she thought some mildly perverted thoughts. God only knows these thoughts would've been much more perverted had she known Gaara was a male.

Lee hadn't said a word, and was still too drowsy to register anything, really. He turned back into the room and shut the door behind him, walking back towards Gaara's bed.

"Who was that?" Gaara said groggily, still not wanting to get out of bed. He might have remembered the importance of this day had it not been for the immense hangover he had.

Lee sat on the edge of the bed, knowing that if he were to lie down he'd most definitely fall asleep. He finally answered after a moment of silence. "Oh, just a maid sent by Temari-san, telling you to get ready…" He said with a yawn. But after one more moment of stillness he froze in mid-yawn. They turned to look at each other in the same moment, each possessing a look of realization on their faces. It'd finally dawned upon them; it was Gaara's birthday.

"Fuck…" Gaara finally said, it was the worst he could think of. He cursed this day, yesterday, and tomorrow. Damn this migraine!

"A princess shouldn't know such words, much less say them." Lee said teasingly. But the mockery was left unnoticed by Gaara, he really couldn't care less. He repeated his offending language and threw the covers off of himself, only to find he was still in that gown he had worn the day before. He groaned.

"Why did you let me fall asleep in this? Now it's disheveled." He said angrily and sat up, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He didn't make the mistake of trying to get up immediately and sat there for a moment, almost fuming with anger.

"Why the hell did I drink so much? What's wrong with me?" He said, still livid. He stood up with a half-assed stomp to the floor and quickly threw off the already wrinkled dress. He almost threw the doors of his armoire off their hinges as he looked into the mass of gowns for the one he liked best. But being as upset as he was, he disliked all of them and wondered what would happen if he decided to dress as a man for once. Temari often wore pants on outings in the winter, so what if for just today, he borrowed some clothes, maybe from Lee, and didn't wear any of those bothersome, frilly, obscenely ornate, dresses?

But Temari would surely kill him if he wore anything that didn't make him look excessively girly. He looked at the gowns once more, standing there in his small under shorts as Lee couldn't help but notice the shapely form of Gaara's legs, and all around body, on that note. He still had the cloth wrapped around his chest, but that was almost skin tight to begin with. With a few, carefully planned movements, Gaara could be undressed and under him in less than a minute. Less than half a minute, if Lee really wanted to go for speed.

Lee rapidly shook his head. What was he thinking? They had to get ready, as soon as possible. He needed to gather his clothing, not stare at Gaara's tempting ass. Now he was even thinking profanely! He quickly picked up his clothes and put on one of his over shirts.

"Do you need any help before I go change?" Lee asked, before making his way towards the door.

"No, but remind me later to have your things moved into here. I'm staring to get annoyed with your leaving me every morning." Gaara teased, in better spirits after finding a suitable dress.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, wait for me?" Lee asked as he walked out the door.

"Of course, but hurry up, or Temari might serve our heads to the nobles as my birthday celebration." Gaara smirked, pulling the dress out of the armoire as Lee shut the door.

It really was the kind of dress Gaara would pick in his current state of mind. The colors were ebony and crimson, the black more prominent than the red, which only made the scarlet stand out even more. The bright ruby thread formed blood red roses up the bottom left side of the gown. The sleeves were long and lined with red; the collar was lined with patterns of crimson, also. There was one last seam of red across the hip line and then the rest of the dress was black. It suited his dark mood so well he almost _wanted_ to wear the dress. But he still would have preferred a nice pair of pants.

Gaara slipped into the gown and went to brush his hair, which he would have cut if he had his way. The tips touching his neck and shoulders bothered him, but what could he do. Any shorter and it would be inappropriate for a female. He went to find his shoes and put them on as he thought about all the things he would have changed if he could. He was to be the official ruler of this land, and yet he didn't really get to decide anything. He was just a figurehead, and that might have been the fact that angered him the most.

Just as Gaara was thinking about waiting in the hall to get out of the girlish room, Lee knocked at his door. Gaara had never seen Lee run, but he must have been rather fast. He was always prompt or early, and he was quick at dressing, too. It was almost inhuman how fast Lee went from disorderly in this room, to change in his room, and back here before Gaara could even think of leaving without him.

As Gaara opened the door Lee look him over, agape. He finally remarked, "You're looking absolutely lovely." Gaara was used to Lee's cliché compliments and took it all in stride. Lee offered his arm to Gaara, and he took it, Lee looking like the escort he was. He also wore a dark suit, which complimented his ebony hair properly. But it was nothing compared to Gaara's enchanting gown, yet it contrasted it nicely.

Anyone who worked in the castle didn't even need to guess about Gaara and Lee's relationship anymore. From Lee's constant scurry from room to room in the morning to the soft smile Gaara unknowingly gave to Lee and only Lee. They were all just awaiting when the relationship would be made public, their discussions about the matter only made in private. The workers of Sabaku were loyal, but quite the gossipers between their own classes.

As Lee and Gaara entered the Dinning Hall, where they were to meet Temari, they were greeted by more people than just Gaara's sister. In fact, it seemed the birthday celebration had started without him.

"There you are, finally. It's three hours past sunrise!" Temari said, coming from the head of the table to greet them. "We started the first meal without you, and have been done for quite some time now. But go ahead and eat, we'll get you a glass of something and make a toast." Under Temari's cordial front she was boiling. It was his birthday, but any later and they would have had a room full of drunken nobles before noon.

"Just make sure it's non-alcoholic." Gaara said quietly to Temari, the crowd's constant roar already bothering him. But he feigned cheerfulness, and replied with a fake smile to every greeting given to him. Lee stood by his side as they made their way to the head of the table; Gaara taking what was previously Temari's seat while Lee took the seat to his left.

"Wow, there are so many people. Maybe they just never left after the feast yesterday?" Lee said softly, leaning close to Gaara.

"Yeah, they probably never left this room, judging by the smell." Gaara replied as he made a face of disgust. They might be the upper class of Sabaku but they were still rather rowdy when under the influence. He wondered just how serious Temari had been when she said they were going to have a bunch of drunken nobles before noon.

Ignoring everything he had learned about mannerisms Gaara put his elbow on the table and rubbed his temples in attempt to rid himself of his severe migraine. To his great disappointment, when Temari came back with their drinks she handed him a weird and very disgusting looking concoction. She quickly explained it was for hangovers, one of the serfs had made the recipe, claiming it worked wonders. Temari sat to his right and somehow quieted the crowd.

"A toast, to her highness finally coming of age!" Temari exclaimed, which was followed by cheers and more rapid downing of alcohol. Gaara wondered how much they could have before they all fell over in cardiac arrest.

He raised his own glass and smiled, holding his nose closed as he gulped down the whole glass at once. At first he felt like he might puke, but the vomit like substance soon settled and he got the horrid taste out of his mouth by drinking some of Lee's drink, since it was sure to be non-alcoholic. Lee didn't look at him angrily, but instead asked if he was all right.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Gaara replied, sighing as he handed Lee his glass back. They were both served plates of food an instant later by serfs that seemed to come out of the walls. Sometimes the help here in the castle was so good that Gaara was still surprised at how little he had to do.

After they finished their late breakfast the whole congregation moved steadily out to the courtyard again. This time it was decorated for his birthday, the signs of the festival all but vanished. He again reminded himself to give the working class here in Sabaku more benefits, they surely deserved it. Especially whichever serf had made that strange brew, his head already felt clearer.

Suddenly, Temari emerged from the crowd. "Oh, yeah, you have to give a speech in couple of minutes. Good luck." She said, and then disappeared into the mass again. And before that moment Gaara had actually believed that this day might turn out okay. But now he didn't know what the hell was going on. He turned to Lee, who was at his side, as always.

"Did you know I was supposed to give a speech?" Gaara said, not panicking, but he was about to be very angry.

"I had no idea, maybe it was last minute planning?" Lee suggested, trying to calm Gaara down, not wanting to upset him anymore.

"Or my conniving sister forgot to mention that tiny detail." Gaara speculated, looking towards where she had disappeared with malice. He had no time to fret over this anymore; he had to think quickly of what he was going to say.

But before he could even plan out the first paragraph the crowd had gone ominously silent and was looking to one direction. Gaara still wondered how Temari managed to do that. She was soon announcing how in a few moments Gaara was to make his coming of age speech. And after saying this she gestured for Gaara to come and stand next to her. Feigning cheerfulness he made his way through the crowd to his gruesome sister, Lee trailing behind. But the knight did not stand on the small platform that Temari was on top of. She beckoned for Gaara to step up onto the diminutive stage, which barely had room for two people. It was obviously made for this occasion, so Gaara knew his sister had tricked him. He had to contain himself and stop himself from strangling Temari right then and there.

Gaara turned to the people, who in turn starred at him with wonder and optimism. Temari stepped off the podium and Lee still stood to the side. Gaara drew in a long breath and had to control the sigh he wanted to emit. He started on his speech, and the crowd had to be completely silent to hear him speak, his voice never having been very loud.

"Greetings, and thank you for coming today. As you know I have come of age on this day, and now rightfully can take the thrown. No longer will there be a question of who will rule, but lives shouldn't change too much. My presence is just a reassurance, not a change in how things are run here. Temari will still be my advisor and you will probably see her a lot more often than myself." The people believed Gaara to be a shy young woman, and they instantly either loved her or thought her to be only a shadow queen, used by Temari, but none of them minded. Gaara, on the other hand, was hoping they bought this. He didn't want to speak at all, in reality, he wanted to walk off the stage that instant and go back to his room to get some more rest. But he trudged on nonetheless and tried to cover all the topics he knew he would have to at least mention that day.

"I would also like to apologize for my behavior yesterday at the seasonal festival, I'm glad you could all except that. For the knight here is my fiancé, therefore you're future king." At this Gaara gestured towards Lee, who in turn blushed and received a modest applause from the crowd. Kings weren't half as important in Sabaku, but it was still a major occurrence. Luckily Lee had already proved himself to Sabaku throughout the years, which was why he was already a knight at only the age of nineteen. Lee looked shocked but stood his ground, smiled at the crowd, and turned red as a tomato. Gaara was blunt and to the point, but not so much that if offended anyone.

"Thank you, I'm glad you approve." He said this, but he really didn't care what they thought. He faked all this with much self taught skill, he seemed to be a master of false smiles by this time. He continued, "As for your accepting of me, I'm also thankful for that. It's always easier when the people can actually stand their ruler. I hope I never seem a tyrant, and I hope the way I rule pleases all of my fellow citizens of Sabaku, no matter their lineage or class. Thank you again, and please have a wonderful time here at my birthday celebration." At this the crowd cheered once more and Gaara stepped off of the platform. Now he let out that sigh he'd been holding in. Lee was immediately by his side again. Gaara whispered to him, "Did that sound convincing enough?"

"It was fine, it as if you actually wrote the thing before hand. Definitely didn't sound improvised. And they're all really already in a state of blissful stupor, anyway." Lee whispered back, his smile reassuring, which helped Gaara to smirk again. Now that their engagement was officially announced Gaara could openly loop his arm through Lee's. Yet they probably still shouldn't pull another stunt like the day before, it was deemed 'inappropriate' even between most married couples, to show that much affection in public.

Gaara only got that moment of peace, though, before he was ambushed by aristocrats with questions and congratulations. While talking to the small crowd forming around himself and Lee he smiled, and answered questions quickly and politely. It was then that he got his first frightening sensation that day. It felt as though someone was watching him with much malevolence, plotting against him. He turned towards the direction from which he felt this wicked presence, but when he looked all he saw were the other nobles, smiling and enjoying themselves.

"Is everything all right, Gaara?" Lee asked quietly, looking in the direction that Gaara had turned towards. Gaara quickly shook this off as paranoia and turned again towards Lee and the high classed civilians who where speaking to him.

"It's nothing, please dismiss that, I though I heard someone calling me." Gaara lied while giving them an innocent grin. In a modern world, he was so proficient at lying he might have made a living off being a con artist.

The morning was uneventful and quite boring; the only thing that saved everyone from imminent boredom was the arrival of an unexpected guest. Well, a correction, unexpected guests, there was a fairly large group approaching the castle gates. They looked very foreign, dark-skinned, masked, inhumanly tall, men. Maybe not inhumanly tall, but they were all about as tall as Lee, who was one of the taller men of Sabaku. The leader of the group, or that what Gaara assumed he was, looked even taller than Lee. They had long, dark hair, held in high ponytails. And as they came to the castle gates Temari approached them as if they were old friends of the family. Gaara, intrigued, came to stand next to her as the crowd simply stood and starred in awe.

"Welcome, and what brings you here on this day of celebration?" Temari asked, politely enough. She was stern, and she wasn't going to let these men any further until they answered her questions. These foreigners soon realized this and gave into her power of manipulation.

"Tus Adve ii forh yeit?" One of them questioned in a gruff voice, but the leader soon hushed him and spoke in the language used in Sabaku.

"We here for celebration. Union between our country and yours." He said slowly, and Temari lit up with recognition.

"You're from Turgute, right?" She questioned, and when the leader nodded he motioned for the knights standing guard to open the gates. She then ordered their horses to be taken care of, which was usually a squire's job, but they were a bit shorthanded so Lee helped with getting the horses to the stables. As Lee left Gaara's side for the first time in a long while the strangers came into the courtyard. Gaara got that feeling again, the one of an intimidating dangerous presence watching him, but brushed it off once more.

The leader of this bizarre troupe came towards Gaara and Temari, he diminished his height by dropping to one knee. He first took Gaara's hand and brushed it against his gruff lips and burly mustache, muttering a formal greeting. Somehow, he had known that Gaara was the ruler, and not Temari, which was unusual. The rest of the group just bowed and the leader stood again, showing that he was indeed at least four or five inches taller than Lee, which meant he was about seven foot? It was intimidating.

"I am glad you let my people and myself join this today. It is pleasure meeting you and your princess." The strange leader said to Temari, and then turned to Gaara again. "Forgive, I don't introduce myself. I am Vlad, we are of Turgute." He addressed Gaara, since Temari obviously already knew who they were. They were just late and peculiar arrivals.

After this Temari talked with the leader, while the other members just stood around, they must not have known the language, and their leader translated bits and pieces of their conversation for them. But as soon as Lee came back from the stables Gaara left with him back into the group of nobles. He'd rather be surrounded by these annoying imbeciles than those formidable looking foreigners. And for the third time that day he was hit by that paranoia, he was starting to get worried about it. Lucky for him, Lee helped him forget the presence for a moment by taking his hand and interlocking their fingers. Lee squeezed his hand lightly and gave him a handsome smile full of confidence, which suited Lee, and made Gaara smile in return. They didn't need to exchange any words, and for a moment, Gaara could forget his woes.

But the guests made themselves known once more when they finally walked away from where they had been, and into the crowd. Temari came to Gaara, and whatever she needed to say to him seemed urgent.

"Lee, stay here and watch our guests for me, I must talk with my younger sibling for a moment." Temari ordered, and Lee let go of Gaara's hand reluctantly and Gaara walked with Temari into the castle, which was surprisingly empty.

"What is it, you've already made me suffer too much today." Gaara remarked crossly. Temari just brushed off the comment, it seemed she was actually worried, which was frightening. Temari scarcely got worried over anything, and this was the only time he had seen her fret like this.

"Don't play games. It may be your celebration, but it's also a sort of festival, it's not all for you." She looked down the empty halls once more before getting on with the point. "The foreigners, you saw them of course. They're here from a land in the far south. They want to make a unity treaty with us, so we can become allies." She paused, as if that was not all but she didn't want to say the rest.

"That doesn't seem so bad, why are you troubled?" Gaara asked, now a little jittery himself.

"Well, when they wrote me of this agreement they mentioned many things, trade, military, but they failed to mention until just now that they want a royal marriage between our people and theirs." She looked desperate at this, and Gaara might have too, he didn't know what sort of expression took him over at that moment.

"Must it be me?" Gaara said quietly. Temari solemnly shook her head.

"No, but instead it must be me. As you know, marrying you off to a stranger would cause quite the ruckus. And from what they said they have no daughters for Kankuro to marry. So I'm the only option." She bit her lip. "But I really don't want to."

"Do you have other marriage plans?" Gaara asked, relieved it was for once, not his problem. But, no matter how must they fight, he really did care for his sister.

"Well, I might have. But now I guess I have to marry one of those men." She made a look of disappointment and disgust. "They don't even speak our language."

"Here, stop being so pessimistic." Gaara said, out of character, trying to get his sister back to her bossy, confident, self. "Did you ask about a daughter? Maybe they can arrange something with Kankuro." Gaara actually smiled at this. They'd just get Kankuro stuck into it, that was a great solution.

"No, but would Kankuro even agree?" Temari said, but she looked a little better, like she was plotting once again. Gaara was already ahead of here, though.

"Where's Kankuro?" He asked, having only seen him a few times that day. Actually, he didn't get to see much of his brother during festivals since Kankuro couldn't stand being around all the nobles of Sabaku.

"He's out by the stables, I believe. Probably fraternizing with the knights." She said, now getting that spark of mischievousness in her eyes again.

"I'll go get him, you round up the guests." Gaara said, now leading the way out into the courtyard, grabbing Lee on his way through towards the stables. He'd be there or the training grounds, so that's where Gaara headed towards, dragging a questioning Lee behind him.

"Where are we going?" Lee asked, maybe for the fourth time but it was the first time Gaara had heard him say it.

"To fetch Kankuro." He answered simply, and now Lee walked quickly beside him, their hands still folded together.

"Why?" He asked, wondering what was going on. This was all peculiar, the strangers, the worried Temari-san, and now they needed Kankuro. What was going on?

"The people from Turgute want a royal marriage. Neither Temari nor I want to take part in it. We're hoping they'll take Kankuro instead." Gaara smiled at this, and Lee gulped. This was some crazy mixed up royal mayhem, he was glad he was already engaged to Gaara. Otherwise Gaara might have been the one given to those strangers.

They approached the stables, and luckily Kankuro was there, standing in the midst of a group of knights. Gaara quickly walked up to him, and Lee shyly dropped his hand. Gaara addressed Kankuro right away, "Come, you're needed." And in the same way he had snatched Lee out of the crowd Gaara stubbornly grabbed Kankuro's wrist and pulled him back towards the courtyard.

"What?" Kankuro finally questioned after another moment of being torn from his pleasant conversation.

"You're coming with me, you'll see what it is soon enough." Gaara kept walking, and Lee was following behind.

Kankuro just let Gaara take him towards the courtyard, there was no use arguing. So he decided to act like everything was fine, and his normally calm brother wasn't absolutely freaking out. "I heard you two announced your engagement, congratulations." Kankuro said, trying to lighten the heavy mood, but it didn't work.

"No time to speak of that. Did you know we were having guests from Turgute today?" Gaara asked, amused that he might have been the only one not informed.

"Yes, actually, I believe I was notified of that. Why, did they finally show up?" Gaara nodded and Kankuro continued. "There a fearsome sort of bunch, aren't they? Remind me of vampires, really." Kankuro joked, Gaara finally having let go of his wrist. But he still had to walk briskly to keep up with the small 'princess.'

"Everyone knows vampires died out at least three centuries ago." Gaara said, rolling his eyes at his older brother.

"But if there were any vampires left… Oh, they are here." Kankuro said as the came upon the courtyard and he saw them grouped to the side with Temari, who was anxiously awaiting them.

"I haven't spoken with them yet." Temari said to Gaara as he came upon them, he shook his head and addressed the leader himself.

"It's nice seeing you again so soon." Gaara lied between his grinning teeth.

"The pleasure in ours, lovely princess." He said, bowing to kiss Gaara's hand once more. At this Lee stood next to Gaara, giving the man a disapproving look, even though he was a bit taller.

"My fiancé." Gaara said, addressing Lee, and the man stepped back, making an apologetic motion.

"Sorry, lucky young man, I did not know." He said, giving Lee a warm smile. This man might not have seemed so formidable if he hadn't been so dark and tall. Even with kindness in his eyes he could still strike a bit of terror into anyone.

"It's fine. We have more important things to speak of. Would you join us in the castle for a moment?" Gaara said, leading them into the Entrance Hall, Lee still protectively by his side.

"Is there problem?" The leader said as soon as they were inside and the door was closed. Gaara shook his head to reassure him.

"No, I don't think we'll have any problems." Gaara looked at the man's entourage, who almost blended into the shadows inside the castle. "By they way, are you the only one of your people who speak our language?" Gaara questioned, and at this the man beamed.

"I thought you would never ask. As matter of fact, there is one of us who also speaks this language. Though, I admit, he is not so good at it as I." The man then turned to his group, pointing to one of the cloaked men and motioning for him to come forward. The three Sabaku siblings and Lee exchanged bewildered looks; they had assumed that the others in this strange group had not spoken a word of their language. But a man did come forward, a little shorter than the rest of the men, probably the youngest, which was another surprise.

"Good afternoon." The cloaked figure said, his voice not as dark and mysterious as Vlad's.

"Remove your hood, it is rude to address them with face hidden." Vlad said to the obviously younger member of the group. The boy understood and removed his hood, also pushing his cloak back so that they could finally distinguish him. He was still darker skinned than the people of Sabaku, but he was a shade lighter than the other strangers. His hair was also shorter, but still as long as Gaara's. It was dark like theirs, and so were his eyes. But the most noticeable feature might have been the two vertical red scars under his eyes, making him easily noticeable now that his face was exposed. Maybe that's why he hid himself so thoroughly? He was obviously a lot different than his kinsman.

"So, you going to tell them name?" The leader scolded again, and the boy looked up at them, a determined look in his eyes.

"Kiba." He simply replied. And after a surprised moment of silence Gaara continued with his questions.

"So, do you have any females who could take part in the royal marriage?" He addressed Vlad. The leader shook his head.

"This is the one, he is to marry one a you, I am assured?" Vlad replied, giving them another scary smile.

Our heroes looked at each other, and quickly decided they'd have to have a private discussion before moving on. "Excuse us for a moment." Temari said politely as they turned the corner of the hall and grouped together to whisper fast and softly.

"So, why wasn't I notified of this?" Kankuro asked, confused. "What's with the 'royal marriage' thing?"

"It's part of the peace treaty, and I just got notified of that tiny detail." Temari sighed.

"And I'm already taken, so it has to be either you or Temari." Gaara said simply, gesturing towards Lee to make his point clear.

"You guys want me to marry that stranger, right?" Kankuro questioned, raising his eyebrows. Temari nodded sheepishly, but Gaara looked Kankuro straight on.

"It actually should be you, since Temari's needed here at the castle so much. She can't be married." Gaara reasoned, and Temari nodded, now sure of her decision.

"So I'm just supposed to agree to this? You realize we're both male, openly male, at that?" Kankuro replied, adding that last part to tease Gaara.

"Do you have a problem with it?" Gaara asked, and Kankuro unexpectedly blushed and turned his head away from them, trying to hide his sudden flush.

"I guess not, but won't they have a problem with it?" Kankuro remarked, trying to get his face back to its normal color.

"We'll ask. But we'll ask other questions first, so they can get comfortable. I don't think we should just jump into a conversation with the question 'Do you think you'd be interested in a gay marriage?'" Gaara supposed, Lee standing next to him. He didn't have anything he could say about all this. He'd have to get used to being thrown out of the loop with these siblings.

With a nod they headed back into the hall to face the people from Turgute. "Ah, so you decide then?" The leader replied as they came back into view.

"We'd like to ask a few more questions before deciding, if that's okay." Gaara stated, and Vlad nodded with another of his suspicious grins. "First, could you tell us more about Kiba here, or would you like to tell us yourself?" He first addressed Vlad, and then moved his attention towards Kiba himself.

"I can say myself?" Kiba asked Vlad, he nodded. "Okay, I tell you. I am born from Vlad and woman of northern country, maybe even Sabaku. I raised by Vlad and Turgute become my home. I am taught this language for years now, because it might be place of my mother. And also because Turgute want Sabaku to be ally. I am happy to marry here and stay in Sabaku for Turgute." Kiba finished with a polite bow, and Vlad gave him a clap on the shoulder.

"Very good." The strange leader said to Kiba, and in return Kiba gave him the first smile they had seen upon his features. "A suitable partner, no?" Vlad said, smiling at them again and letting his hand fall off Kiba's shoulder.

"Yes, he speaks our language well." Gaara complimented, knowing he might have to charm them into taking a marriage between the two men. "So, would it be a problem if he was to marry my brother, Kankuro?" Gaara said and Kankuro stepped forward. Kankuro had always been a bit shorter than Lee, but not as lanky, and he was shorter than the other people from Turgute. He was a little taller than Kiba, though, and the war paint on his face actually looked nice next to Kiba's scars.

"Ah, I see no problem. We have many male marriage in Turgute. And he is royal Sabaku blood?" The three siblings nodded. "No problem, then." Kiba and Kankuro looked at each other, their eye's meeting for the first time, causing both of their faces to redden a bit.

"When should the marriage take place?" Temari asked, now getting back to her normal self since this whole ordeal was being resolved.

"Maybe this week? You house us until then. After, we will leave." Vlad said, him and Temari made the plans. Kankuro made awkward conversation with Kiba, and Gaara slipped out of the castle with Lee. They entered the courtyard and the instant they were out in the open Gaara could've sworn he felt that frightening presence again. So it hadn't been one of the strangers, as he had thought it had been, since they were all still inside.

"It's almost time for the evening feast now, the day's gone by quickly." Lee said, turning to face Gaara. Gaara still felt uneasy, now he believed the presence was lingering over him. To reassure himself, he took Lee's hand, which was becoming a common gesture between them now. Gaara wanted to say something like 'Don't leave my side,' or 'Keep your eyes on me,' but it sounded too paranoid and would only have made Lee worry.

"Hey, Lee!" Temari called from right outside the castle. Lee reluctantly let go of Gaara's hand and walked about ten feet over to Temari. He thought she had better make this quick, he didn't want to leave Gaara by himself right now, he seemed worried about something.

"I just wanted to tell you that your and Gaara's wedding won't be until at least a month after Kankuro's. It's too much to do in such a short period of time if we don't stretch it out. With the festival and Gaara's birthday we couldn't help it, but…" Temari started, but Lee interrupted her.

"I understand. I'll tell Gaara." Lee replied quickly, turning back towards were he had left Gaara standing a moment before, only to find the red head was no longer standing there. Lee hurriedly searched the crowd, only to catch the gates closing behind a cloaked figure carrying a struggling package. Now in a state of panic Lee cried out, "Gaara?!" He paused and looked for a response, when he didn't receive one he continued, "Gaara!" He called again, but still no answer, and now everyone was looking about in confusion. Finally, he shouted, "Gaara!!" At this he realized what the cloaked figure must have had in his grip. And with this realization he ran towards the front gates, but he was intercepted by Vlad.

"You should take a horse, it might help." Vlad said, his face not smiling, but it wasn't intimidating for once, just worried and friendly. Lee saw that Vlad was giving him one of his already packaged horses, ready to go for whatever awaited him. Lee hoped the chase would last too long; he'd capture that villain as quickly as possible, so that he had no time to do anything to Gaara.

"Thank you, I'm in your debt." Lee said, mounting the horse as the guards got the gate open. The party was now in a state of panic, and it was all Temari could do to get the people from screaming and making matters worse.

"Just bring the Princess back, I'm counting on you, knight!" Vlad replied loud enough so that Lee could hear him even though he was already on his way out of the castle area.

Lee might have been able to run faster than a horse on most days, but a horse was better at carrying things than he was. It might have been slower, but he wouldn't have to worry about stopping soon. And this was a traveling horse, so it could go a great distance. It was a good thing, since Lee didn't plan on stopping until he had gotten Gaara back.

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Oh god I'm sleepy. I've been up too long with too little sleep, and I am currently sick. But here's a new chapter, so what does that matter? Enjoy this, because I did not read it over, I just finished typing it, I hope it makes sense. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews this. And who watch it and who favorite it. It makes me live, I swear. The more you review, the faster my fingers type, it gives them energy. Even if I'm too tired to think they'll still want to type. Like what they're doing right now.

I beg you to deal with the drama right now. It get's kind of angsty, too. But I swear the end will be happy and all that crap, so don't worry! ((Not too much suspense, right?))


	11. A Rather Depressing Scenario

Chapter 11: A Rather Depressing Scenario

A hand holding a dark material over his face was annoying, he was tempted to bite it and break free, but there seemed to be some sort of knock out drug on or in the strange material. So he soon found himself unconscious, being carried in some direction, he'd never know which one. The 'thing' carrying him was almost figureless, like a tangible shadow. It moved like a shadow, too. Swiftly, quietly, and without leaving a trace of which direction it had gone in.

When he awoke it was pitch dark outside, he seemed to be in some sort of storage house. 'But only farmers have storage like this,' Gaara thought, 'and there isn't a large farm house for miles around the castle of Sabaku, where we were located only this afternoon, right?' He slowly lifted his hand to his aching head, and just as slowly his eyes finally adjusted to the lack of light.

It seemed he was lying atop a large sack of… maybe seeds? And when he turned his head around to look for his captor he couldn't spot him anywhere. It seemed to be just him and the gathered crops. So he slowly sat up, maybe he could get outside and look around. He might be able to see relatively where he was, considering he'd traveled the path from the outer parts of Sabaku to the castle before. But as he stood up his captor manifested in front of him, making him seem even more like the shadow Gaara believed him to be.

"Aha, you're awake." The figure said, it was a dark voice, one that seemed to be a bit familiar to Gaara. But he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before. Gaara was now angered, he went to throw a fist at the dark form, but it only stepped to the side and dodged his attack with ease. Gaara threw more punches and kicks at the outline, but it kept just out of his reach. "You need more practice." The shape uttered, it's white teeth showing in the darkness as it gave him a bone-chilling smile. This made Gaara continue with even more pent up rage; he threw his leg around at the form, finally catching something. When Gaara turned to see what he had accomplished, he saw he had removed the figure's cloak, revealing what it looked like in the pale moonlight. The image had Gaara stunned and the male in front of him just smiled.

"What…?" Gaara said quietly, closing his eyes and opening them again, to make sure his eyes weren't just contorting the image. But when he opened his eyes again it was as if he was looking in a mirror, only this is what he would have looked like had he been allowed to dress as a man. The hair was shorter and seemed a bit darker, the muscles more prominent, and the clothes were that of a rogue's, sword and all. The only other difference that Gaara could state was it's disturbing smile. "Who are you?" Gaara finally said, trying to gather his wits.

"Now that's a tough question to answer." The man said, stepping towards Gaara. Gaara found he couldn't move, and realized that the male was using sand to keep his feet from moving. This disturbed Gaara even more, and the most he could do was get the sand off of him. But by the time Gaara had done that the unsettling male had his hand around Gaara's neck, pushing him back towards a wall.

"I am a great deal of things." He said, pushing Gaara into the wall, his nails irritating the skin around Gaara's neck. Gaara found he couldn't use the sand at all, this man kept his attempts at bay. It seemed in that area, they were equally matched.

"I am you." He said eerily, putting his face to Gaara's, so close that their breath mingled visibly in the cool night air. "And yet I'm not entirely you." His 'other self' pulled a knife from somewhere on his person. He unsheathed it and brought it too his own face, and gradually, he move his hair away from his forehead, revealing a twin to Gaara's own mark. He then dropped the hair back into place and put the knife to Gaara's face, moving the hair from his forehead, to check the mark.

"I am a part of you, cast out, to become something of it's own." He continued, pulling the knife down to rest the sharp side against Gaara's cheek. He put pressure on it leisurely, until it cut the skin and blood pooled out. Gaara took in a hiss of breath at this. He pulled the knife away, and put his tongue next to the blood flow, getting a good drink before pulling back. "It seems even our blood is the same." He licked his lips and smiled. He brought his knife down to Gaara's nape, leaving tiny scars as he went to cut his dress. He made a scratch down the left side of his chest as he tore the dress off of Gaara's upper torso. He grinned again as he cut the cloth off of Gaara's chest, to reveal he was indeed a he. "I knew you to be no woman." The male said, letting his knife's point irritate the skin on Gaara's clavicle. "But that just makes it more fun to tease." He now brought his knife to Gaara's legs, cutting the dress off at the thigh. The handcrafted fabric was falling to the floor in torn heaps as more and more of Gaara's pale flesh was becoming exposed.

"Get off of me," Gaara said, but it came out weaker than he had wanted it to. He lifted his hands to the arm around his neck but found his efforts to be fruitless. This familiar stranger's grip was strong, and Gaara's attempts to remove the hand only made the grip around his neck more and more unbearable.

"But I have yet to finish answering your question." The man smirked, cutting into Gaara's upper thigh. Gaara's breathing was becoming more and more ragged, his limbs twitching uneasily. "Here, I'll give you my final answer." The man continued his horrid grin that would forever scar Gaara's memory. He ripped of the remains of Gaara's once elegant dress, and tore down his shorts, leaving him completely naked and pinned against the wall. The man turned him over harshly as Gaara struggled to free himself, thrashing as best he could. But this man was diligent, and after only a few hard kicks and punches hitting him, finally got Gaara pinned against the wall once more, only now his face was pressed to the wall. The man kept one of his hands around Gaara's small neck and used the other one to force his arms above him, holding both of Gaara's wrists up on the wall. At some point in time, the man's pants had been removed, also.

"I am Shukaku." He said eerily into Gaara's ear as he pressed himself against Gaara's backside. Shukaku then proceeded to thrust himself into Gaara, tearing skin, and making Gaara bleed. It was revolting, and Gaara couldn't help but scream, only making the disgusting male behind him thrust harder. When Shukaku hit his prostate it wasn't even enjoyable, and it only made him bleed more, he could feel his flesh breaking. For the first time in his entire lifetime, Gaara felt the unfamiliar feeling of tears rolling down his face. Tears of pain, hatred, and depression came out, making Gaara's skin crawl. His yells came out fiercer, and he could feel his stomach wrench in disgust when the man spilt his seed into him.

The only saving grace was the light that appeared outside the storage house. Voices could be heard and it made Shukaku quickly retreat. He pulled up his own pants and grabbed his cloak, once again making himself a shadow. "See you in your nightmares." And with that, the man was gone, leaving Gaara to bleed and hunch over in pain. He could feel his own tears, and it made him feel pathetic. Again, he felt he was useless and would never belong. He again thought of how he could live on, because he didn't know how he could continue living after this. And as he thought horrid thoughts of a suicidal tendency a tall, burly, farmer came into the storage house, his gun aimed at the poor, raped, defenseless boy.

Gaara couldn't even move as the farmer quickly threw his gun to the side and almost ran to see what had happened. When the farmer saw Gaara, hunched over, naked, and bleeding profusely, he acted swiftly. He took the larger remains of Gaara's dress and covered him, wrapping a long strip of cloth that used to be the bottom of Gaara's dress around his torso. The farmer lifted Gaara into his arms and started towards the door. Helpless and lost, Gaara didn't do anything, couldn't say anything, and just continued to let out silent, pathetic, sobs.

"Mari, come quick!" The man called as soon as he was out of the storage house. A woman in a thick brown dress and apron appeared out of the house and met the man as he quickly walked towards the house. When they were in the light of the porch they stopped to look at Gaara in the light. The woman audibly gasped.

"The poor thing! Get him in the house, put him in Seka's old room. Make sure he's warm. I'll get the extra covers from the downstairs closet. Quickly!" She opened the door and motioned for the farmer to move inside. She then followed him inside, walking briskly towards the back of the house as the man took Gaara to a room on the second story in the nicely furnished house. They lived well for farmers, Gaara absentmindedly noted. His thoughts were sluggish and everything was blurred. Before he was even put on the small cot in the room upstairs he'd fallen asleep in the arms of that farmer.

"Ken, how's he doing?" The woman said as she came into the dark room. He lit a large candle on a table beside the bed before answering.

"He's fallen asleep now, he was awake earlier, but he's finally resting." He replied, shaking his head. "He's bleeding pretty badly, it looks like large knife wounds in most places, but…" He looked sadly at his wife and their connection let her know what he had observed with just that remorseful look.

"Some people are sick, darling." She also shook her head, covering Gaara with two more blankets. "Keep an eye on him, I'll go get what medical supplies we have." She left the room, and hurriedly gathered all the medical supplies she could find. The man knelt next to Gaara, checking his pulse and his breathing. He lifted the blankets slightly, to glance at the wounds on his face, neck, and chest. His wife came back into the room and he moved over, so she could treat the boy's wounds. He took the supplies from her and set them on floor next to himself.

"He's very pale, but it looks like that's natural for him." She said quietly, pulling the alcohol from the pile of supplies and smothering a piece of cloth with it. "I've heard it the best for cleaning the wounds." She said to her husband, bending over Gaara's torso and taking the cloth to the wounds, first to the one on his face. "This is going to leave a nasty scar, no matter how well I treat it." She remarked aloud, her face contorted into a worried frown for the stranger. She had instantly taken to this boy, and now her motherly nature made her want to nurture this boy back to health, even before she knew his name.

"Where do you suppose he's from?" She asked her husband as she moved the blankets off of him, to get to the other injuries. He shook his head, frowning.

"I have no idea. But look at the quality of his tattered clothing." He gestured to the cloth now wrapped around Gaara's lower torso.

"It's of the finest quality I've ever seen." She replied, studying the roses on the black, silk like cloth. "It might have been a fine cloak before it was shredded like this." She stated, studying the frayed edges.

"He must be from the capital, a merchant's son?" The husband thought aloud. His wife shook her head.

"You've seen merchants and their sons many times. Are they ever dressed in this nice of clothing? No, he's most likely a noble. I'd say he was royalty, but Prince Kankuro is the only male royal we have. We saw him once before, remember? He was a lot bigger than this boy, here." Her husband gave a shrug, and she sighed. "It doesn't matter who he is. He's hurt, and we'll have to take care of him until he's better." She finished cleaning the wounds on his upper torso, using makeshift bandages to cover the cuts. But as she approached his lower half she stopped.

"There's nothing we can do for that. He has some more cuts on his legs, get to those." Her husband said quietly to her, stroking her hair to reassure her. She nodded and moved on to his thighs and such, cleaning and covering those injuries. Her heart went out to this boy; he was in an unfamiliar place, hurt physically and mentally. After she was finished dressing his wounds the best she could she covered him with the blankets again. She then paused, and just continued to look at the boy sadly.

"He'll be fine, let's get to bed. We'll check on him in the morning," He husband consoled. She nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. She was very emotional, especially when it came to matters like this. The woman could remember when her childhood friend had a young girl, about this boy's age, and she was raped, impregnated before she could be married. Sometimes humanity could be so horrible.

"Let me lay out some clothes for him, just in case he awakes before us. He won't want to appear before us naked." She said, moving towards a small cabinet, where she pulled out a young man's shirt and pants. "Seka's clothes should fit him, they'll be a bit big, though." She set them on the bedside table as she blew out the candle and left the room with her husband. They went towards their room and slept, knowing that there was nothing more they could do for the poor boy.

As for Gaara, he continued to sleep, and he dreamed, which was unusual for him. When the sun peaked its bright rays into the room he refused to awaken, not wanting to face reality. In his dream, none of this had happen. In his dream, he was back at the castle, in his own room, and he was in his own bed. In his dream, he had never been raped, he hadn't been kidnapped, and he was making marriage arrangements. In his dream, he was with Lee.

When he finally gave into the reality and awoke, he found tears in his eyes, making his vision blurry. All it did was make him feel pathetic, and he quickly wiped away the tears with one of the quilts that were on top of him. It was then he started to take in his surroundings. He was in a farmhouse, he remembered, with a hard working peasant couple that had taken him in after finding him naked and bleeding in their storage house. He was in a small cot, which might have been extremely uncomfortable had it not been covered in blankets, with even more covers on top of him. He looked out the window to see a great expanse of empty fields. And far into the distance, he could make out a forested area. He returned his gaze to the small room he currently resided in. There were clothes set out on the table for him, men's clothing. It had been so long, he almost smiled at the thought of being openly male again. But continued to frown, knowing the events that had led to this moment were the worst moments of his life.

He glanced down at himself, noting he was covered in what had been his coming of age gown. He looked at his treated cuts, wrapped with care, and already they had stopped bleeding, probably forming scabs. He looked at himself, grimacing. This was no longer his body; he no longer wanted to reside in this flesh. Why didn't he throw himself from the window? There was no point he could see in living.

He was defiled; he couldn't face the people of Sabaku now, as their leader. Temari would be a better leader anyway. And besides, these residents of Sabaku now knew his secret. Well, he might be able to hide it from them, but if he was to ever run into them again in the future as 'Princess' Gaara, they'd know him to be male. So he couldn't rule again, anyway. He didn't even know where he was, they couldn't be out of Sabaku yet, no matter how fast that apparition had traveled. But they could be a great distance from the capital, for all Gaara knew. These people probably knew how to get to capital, and probably planned on going there, to trade in some of their crops for other goods. But he didn't want to speak to them, they had witnessed him in his moment of weakness, and he didn't want anyone's pity, no matter how badly he needed it.

He was tainted; Lee couldn't love him now, could he? No, Gaara thought, Lee would still give him his affections. But Gaara couldn't hinder Lee like that. Lee was too kind; he would accept Gaara no matter what. The truth was, Gaara couldn't see himself loving anyone ever again. He still had feelings for Lee, but he didn't know anymore. He could never be intimate with Lee now; he didn't want to be touched anymore. The thought of being close with anyone, including Lee, touching him, holding him, made his skin crawl. He didn't know what to live for, until a realization hit him.

He couldn't kill himself, that's what that demon wanted. He didn't want to die; he couldn't die, as long as that abomination was still alive. And he'd live, just to defy that fiend. He'd never go back to his old life, but he'd live. He'd make a new name, he'd live as a man, and he would get as far away from Sabaku as he could. Because he knew that as long as he lived, that ghoul would hunt him down. He somehow knew it, like they were connected on another level. He didn't believe that that monster was his 'other half' or even apart of himself. But Gaara would not die; he refused to, until his vengeance against 'Shukaku' was fulfilled.

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Okay, you wonder why I just uploaded two chapters at once? Don't as questions, just be happy! But if you realy want to know, it's because fanficton and my main computer are not getting along. I have to upload the chapters through our labtop, so it'll be even more irregular. I hope you like it so far, even though it's depressing. I'll get the next chapter out soon, hopefully. Oh this chapter is dedicated to Sesshomaru-sara, whom I love bunches. And all of you, my awesome readers. Thank you so much.


	12. A New Life’s Beginning

Chapter 12: A New Life's Beginning

'Gaara' was greeted downstairs by the quaint couple preparing a rather hearty looking breakfast. They both gave him kind smiles laced with poisonous sympathy when they saw he had gotten dressed and joined them downstairs.

"Good morning!" The woman said, as if he'd lived there all his life and this was just another day. 'Gaara' decided to treat it a thus, and gave a weak smile in return. It still hurt to walk, but he'd deal with it. He'd deal with pain; he knew he would have to, at one point or another, become acquainted with it.

"How are you feeling?" The husband asked, a little more practical than the woman, knowing they couldn't avoid the past. 'Gaara' continued to give them his polite, fake smile. Something he had long since mastered.

"Horrible." He said simply. He realized this was the first word he had said to these kind strangers. He slowly made his way to the table, and carefully sat down, little pangs of intense hurt running up and down his entire body, all the way into his hairline.

"Breakfast's ready," The woman said beaming at him, "Do you want some?" She asked, but didn't wait for an answer and piled his plate high with cooked eggs and some sort or gruel like substance. He'd never eaten like this before, but knew he'd have to get used to much worse.

"By the way, I'm Ken and this is my wife, Mari. I never caught you name." The man said before they began eating.

"I haven't said it." 'Gaara' said, as he took up a spoonful of the grayish substance to his mouth. It wasn't half as bad as it looked, considering it look absolutely unbearable. It was all right, something he could see himself getting used to if he had to.

"Oh," The wife simply replied, and they ate in silence for a while. 'Gaara' didn't mean to be rude, but he didn't know how to answer that question yet. He was no longer 'Gaara,' and he had to now give a new name. He had to decide on one before notifying these people as to what it was. He'd never go by the name 'Gaara' again. He thought about it, a common name. A commoner's name. A name easily forgotten yet easy to use. One he could live under for the remainder of his life. After he was finished eating, he hadn't realized how hungry he was, he had thought of his use-name.

"I didn't mean to be rude," 'Gaara' started, "I'm called Li." And he smiled at this lie, actually grinned. Because it was a lie he could live under, a sign of his past, so that could never forget it, no matter how hard he tried.

"A good name," the man replied after finishing the food he had in his mouth, "I had a childhood friend with the same name." And the awkward moment passed, and Li could already feel himself growing into his new name. 'Gaara' may have been raped, he may have been a woman, but Li was strong, a determined, and a man.

"I'm glad those clothes fit you, Li." The woman, Mari, said, a twinge of regret in her voice.

"They're a bit big, though." The man, Ken, replied, a twinge of regret also obvious in his voice.

"Yes, but they are quite comfortable, I thank you." Li stated, not acknowledging that the only reason it was comfortable was because he'd been wearing women's clothing for so long. Why would he? Li had never been the princess; he had never worn a dress.

"Forgive me," Mari said, tears suddenly welling in her eyes. "They belonged to our son." And just as fast as her tears had come they stopped, and she tried to retain her composure.

"It's all right." Li responded, waited a moment and then asked, "Do you mind sharing with me what became of your son?"

"No," the man, Ken, he corrected himself, replied. "It's just that we don't know much of what happened to him." And before conitinuing the man drew in a long breath, only to give a long sigh. "He left us, about two months ago, to join some band of wanderers or something of that sort. We haven't heard from him since, but we assume he isn't coming back."

"He left right before harvest began, so we had to ask our Baron to send us help in gathering the crops. We don't know what we're going to do for this coming year, but our Baron promised to send help. He doesn't want to loose such fertile land, you know? He also said he'd send at least one horse, so we could plant the crops better this year." The woman sighed, and then added in a completely different tone of voice, "I think I'll miss him no matter what. But if he doesn't plan on coming back, you can take your pick of his clothes." She smiled. She wanted to see someone wearing the clothes she had worked so hard to make, even if it wasn't her son.

"Why, thank you, that's very kind. Especially considering I'm such a stranger to you. I'm indebted to you." And Li bowed his head slightly, to give them a gesture of gratitude.

"It's no problem." Ken replied. "But lets not be strangers any longer. We're obliviously from here, born and raised in this area. Where do you come from?" The man's question was innocent, but Li had no idea as how to answer this. He used his quick thinking skills, though, and thought of a story.

"I come from the next land over and I was here for the festival." The couple seemed to buy this, and he continued. "I was with a large group of noblemen before we got separated. I'm hoping to catch up with them soon enough." He might get caught in this web of lies, but he hoped not to.

"So why are you taking this backwoods road? I'd think you'd travel on the main road out of Sabaku?" The woman questioned, and Li had to use his head again.

"I headed this way because I thought maybe I could see more of this lovely countryside before returning home." He thought for another moment, he had seen the woods in the distance this morning. That meant they had to be on the border of Sabaku and Kusski, because the other three countries bordering Sabaku had mountains, desert, or swamps. "It's so different from Kusski, I was hoping to stay here longer, but I really should get back home before they start to worry about my disappearance." They bought it, and 'Gaara' thought this lying thing wasn't going to be so hard. But what if he lied for so long, he came to know himself as 'Li'? What if the lies turned into his only truth? He wouldn't live that long, he decided. Because he could feel it in himself, that he was to battle that Shukaku man again, and sometime soon. And this time, it'd be his life on the line, and not his virginity.

"That's wonderful, so you're from Kusski?" Mari asked, breaking Li's train of thought in an instant.

"Yes, I live with my uncle, who is very well off." He smiled through the lies, because they meant nothing to him. He had no past, and he'd make up a new one every time he had to explain himself, and he knew it. A life as a wanderer was a life as a liar. But one thing he'd keep consistent was his name, because he never wanted to forget the truth, the actual truth. Even when he had gone so deep into his stories that he believed the lies were his truths, he'd still know 'Lee'. For it was his name, a constant reminder of at least one of the items in his past. Probably the one thing he'd miss the most.

"Oh dear, don't cry. Would you like a kerchief?" The woman said, giving him a look of intense concern, getting up to grab him a small cloth from the kitchen. "Here." She handed him the cloth and he brought it to his face, surprised to find a lone tear there on his cheek. Why had he let that come forth? He hadn't, he reminded himself, it had come out on it's own. Why? And with that question another tear joined it's brother on the cloth he held to his face.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying." 'Li' said, but he knew better, 'Gaara' knew better. This was going to be harder than he thought, at first. He'd have to get over it, he could never give Lee himself now, and he could never be intimate with him. Somewhere inside himself, 'Gaara' knew he still loved Lee. But that's why he had to leave, because everything was ruined, and if he returned, Lee would try to fix it. His fruitless efforts would lead to much sorrow, and 'Gaara' didn't want that for the person he would most regret not having in his life. After another moment he was sure he had stopped the tears for good and replied, "I'm done, thank you." He handed Mari back her kerchief, and sat, looking like he had never cried, looking just as he had before, emotionless. He had emotions, he was sure of it, maybe too many emotions. But they canceled themselves out, leaving him to be expressionless, except for when he needed an expression to aid his lies. Because he must learn to spin lies better than a spider spins it's own abode. Because like the spider, his web of lies caught him his dinner and kept him alive.

After Mari had cleaned the table of all that was left of their breakfast she asked Li if he would like a bath. He said that he would and she went off to ready it for him. When he was left alone with Ken he decided to ask a few more questions.

"I plan on leaving within these next two days, probably tomorrow, is that alright?" Li asked, knowing he wasn't ready for travel today but he couldn't stay in one place too long. And another factor was when was he going to find another hospitable place like this? He'd have to rest here for at least another night.

"So soon? Are you quite sure?" Ken replied, giving him a quizzical look. Li nodded solemnly.

"Yes, but it'd be great if you could really help me out. I've obviously lost all my supplies. Do you think you could spare a few things?" Li kept on asking, kept on his mask. Ken nodded in reply.

"Of course, what is it that you think you might need? I'm sure we have a spare somewhere around here." He got up from the table and Li joined him.

"I was hoping for some edibles and then maybe some sort of weapon to protect myself with, since I don't feel so comfortable on the road anymore." Li hoped he wasn't asking for too much, he didn't know how much was over the edge for a family like this.

"I think we have something of the sort." He put his hand on Li's shoulder, in a fatherly sort of gesture. "But you don't have to leave so soon if you don't want to. I'm sure they can wait a few more days."

"No, I must." Li said quietly, "I'll be fine." And with this Ken dropped his arm, heading towards the back of the house, motioning for Li to follow him. They entered a small room, a little dark and foreboding, since there were no windows. Ken had grabbed a lighted candle on their way in and quickly lit the other couple of candles that were in the room. In the glowing darkness Li could make out the shapes of a few crop scythes, other various harvesting tools, and a couple of swords hung on the walls. Ken grabbed a small double-sided blade in a plain leather sheath. It was small comparatively, but it was still longer that Li's arm. Ken handed it to him, a concerned frown upon his features.

"Do you think this will do? It's a bit big…" Ken started but Li quickly shook his head.

"It's fine, thank you." He took the sword from Ken and felt the weight of it in his hands. It gave him a rush of sudden adrenaline; he felt more like an actual male now than he ever had in his lifetime. Ken turned and blew the candles out, then he lead them out of the room and the sudden light from the windows made Li squint his eyes.

"You'll need a belt to hold that weapon." But before he could help Li gather anything more Mari suddenly came, frowning at the blade in Li's hands. She didn't say anything about it, but let out a hefty sigh.

"The bath's ready," She said, smiling again at them. "I'll dress your wounds again afterwards, if you don't mind?" She said to Li, and he gave her the best smile he could manage.

"Of course I don't, thank you." He said as he followed her outside to the bathing basin they kept there. She had started a small fire to keep the water from going to freezing temperatures. Once she had gone back into the house he quickly took off the clothes he had been given, placed the bandages and everything else in a pile next to the door and quickly stepped into the rather large basin. It was still fairly small compared to what he was used to, but at least he come completely immerse himself in it. He knew if he was going to be a wanderer he was going to have to get used to much worse than this. This actually might be his last chance to bathe freely for a while.

The wounds he had acquired finally made themselves at ease and stopped their constant bother. The water was only a bit warmer than the air but it wasn't so bad, better than having to bathe in a lake or stream. Li knew he would probably have to do that sooner than later. He let his body relax, and stopped the tensing of his muscles. He was feeling a little better already. He let his head slide under water and came back up after another moment. It was much easier to move in water, and he could almost feel the wounds healing faster. As they say, a dirty wound won't heal. It was only then that he registered all on the wounds that defaced his body. He ran his fingers across them, starting with the lowest ones on his thighs and slowly bringing his hand to his face. Most of them would heal over, leaving a small almost unnoticeable scar at most. But the cut on his face was sure to stay with him for a long time, and would inevitably scar rather badly. It'd become one of his most noticeable features, first his bright red hair, then his blackened eyes, and now his scar. A line staring at the top of his right cheekbone and going all the way down to his jaw line, a thin scar, but long. Now he was someone new, and even he could see the difference. He hadn't looked in a mirror since the start of his birthday. Which he couldn't believe had only been yesterday. Or had it? How long had he been passed out? If he was on the borderline he might very well have been passed out for at least a day. There was no way to tell now, and he shouldn't worry too much over such a trivial matter. Or was it trivial? How long until they came looking for him?

It struck him, the one idea, the one possible outcome he hadn't thought of just yet. They would come looking for him. And sooner or later they would find him. Lee was most likely already trying to track him down with the utmost diligence. How was he to escape them? He couldn't, within weeks he'd be found be someone, even if he was no longer posing as a female. Even if he did manage to get to the border and cross over into Kusski somehow unnoticed, they'd eventually find him. Sabaku was known for its thoroughness, they would never let their heir escape them. When he was found, his life would get much more complicated. The public was sure to know him to be a man by then, either way they'd now find out eventually. He could leave for Kusski or he could go back to Sabaku castle, it didn't matter now which road he took, both would be equally devastating.

But who was to say he was to even live that long? If they found him dead that might actually be the best solution, even with the hefty sorrow it would cause. Not that he would kill himself, but as he had already decided, he knew a battle between life or death was nearing. If he was found dead the public could know him to be male, but it'd make no difference, he hadn't inherited the thrown yet, and Temari was a much more competent leader anyway. There would be sadness involved, but much less pain for those around him. Even Lee, for he knew deep down he could never have the same relationship with Lee again. And sadness was something one could overcome, eventually. Pain could be overcome, also, but is often more crippling.

He'd stick to his first motive, and head towards Kusski. There would be at least one more village before the border, and then there was usually at least a small village at the border, even on a back road like this. If need be, he could head back towards the capital at either of those two turning points. He couldn't think about it too much, the more he did, the more he might regret his decision. And regret was one thing he didn't need anymore of. He'd focus on living, getting from point A to point B. Right now point A was this home and point B was Kusski. By the time he made it there he would be sure to have found some other immediate problem to worry about. Obtaining sustenance might be one of his biggest problems in a couple of days. Luckily he had never been much of a big eater before. Then again, he had never traveled long distance on foot before. But given his training, everything he knew he could do, he'd make it. He stay alive until his path crossed with Shukaku's again. And their paths would cross again sooner than later, he was sure of it.

He finally took in his surroundings, looking for soap to clean himself with. He found some on the edge of the basin and quickly grabbed it, lathering it into his hair to start with. It would probably be an even longer period of time until he was to have the luxury of soap again. His hands touched at his scars again as he rubbed the soap into his skin. But he froze when his hand touched a mark on the base of his neck that he hadn't registered before. Considering all of the new injuries he had attained this one was small and unimportant. As soon as he realized where he had obtained it, though, it was no longer insignificant. It was, in fact, a bite mark, and anyone else would have assumed it was from what had occurred last night. But he recalled that Shukaku hadn't left a mark on him like that. This mark was made beforehand, by someone with much less malice in his heart. Gaara felt all his walls cave in a bit, like they were swooning against the wind, his throat closed and if he had wanted to say something he wouldn't have been able to. Tears didn't come, but only because they had already come for the last time, he had banished them from himself. But he felt an immense ache in his chest, as he kept his hand against the one mark he wished would stay. But it had been made with love, and marks made by love vanished more easily than marks made by hatred.

Remorsefully he drew his hand away from that spot, and finished cleaning himself. He washed the soap from his hair and when he stepped out of the tub he found a cloth for which to dry himself with awaiting him on a hook on the wall. He found it so strange, to have a bathroom of sorts out here, but realized for them it was weird to think of a bath inside. He dressed, forgetting to attend to his wounds. But he no longer cared; he stepped into the house again. He couldn't think too much, that was a rule he'd have to learn to follow. If he thought too much, all his thoughts would come back to one major source of thought. The one thing he usually found himself thinking of, the one thing he couldn't think about too much or he'd loose his sanity, the one thing he wanted more than anything else right now but knew he couldn't really have, the one thing he found he regretted the most, was Lee.

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Hey! I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing! I've been told it makes sense so I'm not going to try and explain it again. If you have a question, ask away. Thank you so much for reading, and thank you even more for reviewing.


	13. Finding what is Lost

Chapter 13: Finding what is Lost

Lee was lost before he even approached the first town on the road out of the capital. He'd never been too good with direction; he excelled in speed, but not knowing where he was going. He'd never ventured outside of the capital, and even though he had studied the maps of Sabaku and memorized them in his squire days he couldn't recall any of it. Especially with his head all a flutter about how to rescue Gaara in the fastest way possible.

After the first twenty-four hours of riding on horse back without stopping Lee felt he might not be headed in the right direction. All he had were his instincts, since the thing that had kidnapped Gaara had left no trace of their getaway. Yet he knew that he had to be going the right way, so he couldn't rest. When he reached the next town, well into hour twenty-eight, he decided to ask where he was. It hadn't occurred to him to ask before, and he didn't even want to stop to ask. But he should know at least relatively where he was and where he was headed, right? He trusted his instincts, but only to a certain extent.

He actually didn't have to dismount to get the information he needed, which was good, since he'd be too sore to get back on again. A kind stranger, in Lee's eyes, told him they where at least seventy miles from the capital, approaching the borderline between Sabaku and Kusski. Lee thanked the man, but really, the stranger had helped him out of fear. He was going through the towns that hadn't seen military from the capital in many years. Lee, still dressed in his formal royal guard wear, was attracting attention from villagers who could recognize him for what he was. Some of the peasants here had never even seen the royal crest, so they didn't even take notice of it on the back of Lee's jacket.

He was moving slower now, Lee recognized. He'd been moving at better speeds a while ago, but gradually they must have been slowing. He didn't blame the horse, and decided to finally rest. They couldn't get out of the country, right? He hoped not as he dismounted the faithful horse and made his way towards the inn on the very outskirts on the town. He'd rest for one night; it was about eight hours from sunrise. That'd be plenty of time to rest, and he could eat something other than the dried meats and vegetables that had been stored in the horse's saddlebags. He tied the horse out front of the inn, hoping they had an open stable for it that he could rent for the night. He had found a good amount of money tucked into one of the saddlebags, enough for a very long journey, if need be. He grabbed a few copper coins and went towards the inn. But before he could enter a rather elderly man stopped him in his tracks by stepping swiftly in front of him. Lee, not wanting to disrespect the man, stood where he was and didn't try to move around him.

"Sir, are you alright?" Lee asked, bending a little to try and make out the stranger's face in the growing darkness. The stranger just shook his head and then suddenly looked up into Lee's face.

"Take of your coat before you go in there." The old man advised in a harsh tone, and then began to walk away. Lee, confused, stood with a blank look on his face for a moment.

"Why?" Lee finally asked the old man, walking with him away from the inn.

"Because, folk like you aren't usually welcomed in these parts." The old man said, and then turned to face Lee. "But you seem to be a honest boy, so I'm giving you fair warning." With that the old man turned and walked away into the dirty roads of the dark town.

Lee took off his jacket and at last put two and two together. He'd finally gotten out of the capital, and he'd never thought he'd get this far into Sabaku, this close to an unfamiliar territory. And with this new place came a new set of rules. This was a town on the edge, almost literally, and the capital seemed to neglect areas such as these. They sent soldiers to regulate the borders, but these towns, after the middle and before the end, always got the short end of the stick. He'd always thought it an injustice, but he'd had no power to fix it. And now these towns resented their own rulers. Or maybe it was just the knights they disliked? Had an accident occurred here? He'd heard stories of bad mannered knights, but he couldn't actually picture such a thing. But the more and more he thought about it the more it made sense. He quickly shoved his coat back into the saddlebag and took out a brown canvas-like cloak. He then went into the inn; silently thanking the old man, hoping their paths would cross again so he could thank him properly.

When he entered he got a few glares, but only because he was a stranger, and he was glad once again for the old man's advice. Had he been wearing the royal symbol he felt he would have been jumped right then and there. It was a tavern connected to an inn, so he knew to ask the bartender about any open rooms. He approached the bar and almost got tipsy off the mere smell of the stronger liquors these men were drinking. The bartender gave him a glance and then asked what he wanted.

"I was wondering if you happen to have any open rooms and maybe a stable I could rent for the night?" Lee asked, not wanting to anger any of these scary looking men. He might have been taller than all of them, but they all were very burly and manly. Most of them even sporting scars from what must have been crop accidents, right? A frightening bunch, to say the least.

The tavern keeper gave a small, sinister smile before answering. "Depends, how much are you willing to pay?" Lee, not knowing what else to do took out a hand full of copper coins and set it on the table in front of the man.

"I'd also like something to eat, for me and my horse." Lee said, confident this was a sufficient amount of funds, and was reassured by the man's solemn nod. He replied to it with a "Thank you."

The man left the bar to a younger male from the kitchen and showed Lee where to put his horse. Lee, not wanting to feel useless, helped the man pour the feed out for the stallion, which ate with much vigor. Lee felt sadness for the majestic animal, and was sorry that he'd have to force it to go out on the road again the next morning.

The man then showed him back into the inn, where he was given his meal. It wasn't very tasty, but he got a good quantity, which made up for the bad quality. He ignored the stares of the other men in the room, and when he was done the man gave him a large key and directions to his room. His room was at the end of the second hall and he thanked all that was good to finally rest. He hadn't realized just how tired he was until he collapsed onto that hard bed. He didn't notice how uncomfortable it was, he was in a deep sleep the instant he was on the bed.

It was a dreamless sleep and he awoke the next morning right on time with the sun. He felt rested and happy for a moment, stretching his sore limbs. But he was soon hit by the realization that he was alone. He hadn't awoken in a bed alone for a while, and the absence on a certain red head brought tears to his eyes. He was proud to say he let himself cry when he needed to, and at this moment he needed to, if only for a moment. He didn't have time to cry for long, though, and reminded himself he needed to get up and look for that certain someone.

"Just you wait, Gaara, I'll find you." Lee whispered as he wiped the tears off of his face with his sleeve. He got up, still fully dressed down to his shoes. He grabbed the pouch of coins he'd kept with him and left the room. On his way out he gave the tavern caretaker his key, and he didn't even have to say anything. Which was good, since his voice would have failed him at that moment anyway. Today he'd find Gaara, and he could not rest again until he did.

Lee left the inn on the horse that had been given to him by Vlad. He had never been told the name of the horse, and wished he could know its name. It was such a diligent animal, it hadn't even protested when he insisted riding on it again so soon. Slowly he rode out of the town and down the road that would eventually lead out of the country. He knew it wasn't the main road, but still, in another day or two he would be in a completely different country. Again he wondered if he had chosen the right way. Had he been wrong to travel this far based only on instincts? He rode on, not trying to think too hard about what he was doing and where he was going. The more he thought about it the more unsure of himself he became. He kept going, now in a farmland area, so the scenery didn't change all too much, especially now since all the crops had been harvested. He felt like he was riding on the same area of land over and over again until something finally caught his eye in the distance. It was around noon so the sun was high and it was hard to tell if it was actually something in the distance or just a trick of the light.

His woes were extinguished when he saw it was a red headed man walking towards him on the road. He was sure it had to be Gaara, so he jumped from his horse, not believing what he was seeing. As he approached the figure at a fast run he almost doubted his vision. It looked so much like Gaara; it had to be him, right?

"Gaara!" He yelled when he was within five feet of the male, and the male responded to this name, looking up at Lee. It was him, Lee thought, so he quickly came up to the man and wrapped his arms around him, swinging him around a few times with the extra momentum he still had. It was Gaara, it was! He was crying in relief, but the form in his arms stayed rigged. Lee realized he was probably holding him too tight and set Gaara down again. Lee looked at him, he was in different clothing, he even had a long sword, but it was still Gaara. And his hair looked shorter, but Lee moved the hair away from his forehead, and sure enough, the scar was there. Lee again thanked all that was good, and would never doubt his instincts again.

"I can't believe it, but it really is you!" Lee said, smiling like an idiot. He pulled Gaara into his arms again, trying not to crush him but having a hard time in not holding him as tightly as he could. "Gaara, I'm so glad…" He continued to hold him, not wanting to let him go or move. Afraid that if he did anything more, Gaara would vanish again. And that this was all just a dream he was having, and he was really back at that strange inn, asleep. But he was proven wrong once again when Gaara wrapped his arms around Lee, returning the embrace.

"I was so scared," Gaara finally managed to say, his voice sounding forced and full of unshed tears. At this Lee couldn't help but hold him tighter, he vowed never to let Gaara out of his sight again. And then Lee remembered that Gaara had been kidnapped, so he broke the embrace to look him over, to check for any wounds and such. Luckily, there were no signs of any wounds or new marks on his body. Other than the change of clothes and hair, he looked exactly as he had when Lee last saw him almost two days ago.

"Did he do anything to you?" Lee asked, still showing concern for him. Gaara shook his head, and Lee had to fight against his will to kiss Gaara right then and there. "How did you escape?" He managed to ask instead, it took Gaara a moment to answer.

"I escaped while he was sleeping. I don't know how close he is now, but I left him at the town up ahead. We were almost to the border, I'm so glad I managed to get away…" He said, looking up at Lee. Lee could no longer stop himself and placed his lips to Gaara's, kissing those soft lips for only a moment before coming back to the situation at hand. He broke away and looked down at Gaara again.

"What happened to your clothes and your hair?" Lee asked, now noting that at least three inches of the lovely red hair was gone. It took Gaara another long moment to answer.

"The man who kidnapped me didn't want any weird looks from the inn keepers and such. He said I should dress as a man and forced me to cut my hair. He didn't see me, though, and didn't figure out that I'm not really a woman." Gaara stated, his voice laced with bitter sadness. But something seemed out of place, Lee just couldn't say what. Maybe it was all just too perfect, that's what might have been making him nervous. Instead of trying to reply, Lee just put his arms around Gaara and drew him close once again. He didn't know what to say, it was to glorious a moment to ruin with unneeded words.

They stood like that for a few more moments, wrapped in each other's arms. Then Lee finally let go, knowing they could make it back to the town in time to rent a room at an inn if they headed back now. "Come, we'll talk more when we get to the town up ahead." Lee said, motioning towards where he had just come from. Gaara nodded and they walked back to the horse Lee had left in the road. Lee put his hand on the horse's face in a loving caress and muttered to it a thank you. He then lifted Gaara onto the horse before he got on himself. It was then that it occurred to him that Gaara probably hadn't eaten in awhile.

"Gaara, are you hungry? I have some dried foods here in the saddlebags if you want any." He said over his shoulder, and Gaara nodded. Lee handed him some dried meat, and apologized. "Sorry, I'll get you something better to eat once we get to this next town." Gaara nodded, and put the hand he wasn't using around Lee as the horse started towards civilization. Lee didn't urge the horse to go any faster, knowing it must have been twice as hard to move with an extra passenger. But they made it back to the town at sunset, though they hadn't exchanged any words on they way there. It was an awkward silence, and the first silence between them that bothered Lee to this extent. Usually they could have a comfortable silence between themselves, but it just seemed a little ominous and foreboding to Lee. He couldn't name why, though, and just decided to be happy he'd found Gaara so soon.

"Lets stay here." Lee finally said as the approached an inn in the middle of the town. He didn't want to stay at the same one as before, and wanted better food for Gaara to eat. Plus this inn looked at lot cleaner, the tavern actually lit so you could see the faces of the people you were talking to.

He dismounted the horse and then helped the still silent Gaara off. Maybe he was just so happy that words failed him? And Gaara was quite to begin with. Why was Lee so afraid that something was wrong? He shrugged the feeling off and tied the horse up in front of the inn before going into the place. He approached the obvious owner of the place and proceeded to ask for a room.

"Excuse me, do you happen to have any open rooms or stables I could rent for the night?" Lee asked politely, the quiet Gaara standing beside him. The host smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure we have an open stable. And would you like one room or two separate rooms?" The owner's smile caught Lee off guard, considering how he had gotten his room the night before.

"Oh no, we'll share a room. And can we get a warm meal?" Lee asked, and the host continued to smile.

"Of course, but first may I have your payment?" The owner finally got the point and Le fumbled with his pouch of coins. Looking around the place he speculated it would be a little more than the night before. He fished a few silver coins out and handed them to the owner. His plump face brightened and he greedily shoved the coins into his own pocket.

"Very good, you can put your horse in the stables out back. When you get back we'll have your meals ready for you." He motioned behind the inn and Lee nodded, going out of the inn and untying his horse. Gaara still followed him, just a silently as before. A stable boy came to assist them and they had the horse situated and were back inside the inn before they knew it. Their meal, as promised, was ready for them and they ate in silence. Lee missed the comfortable silence they used to share, and wondered what made it so uncomfortable now. Gaara was still the same green eyed, crimson haired, pale male he had known a few days ago. But something was bothering him, and it was all he could think about as they were shown their room and given their key.

But other matters soon occupied his mind as they stepped into the room and shut the door. Lee, not afraid to now that they were alone, put his lips to Gaara's. And Gaara may have been giving Lee the silent treatment for a while but now he took part in the intimacy with drive. Actually, Gaara was being very forceful, and pushed Lee back into the wall harshly. He might have been shorter, but Gaara was definitely dominating Lee at the moment, parting his lips and shoving his tongue in. Lee, the heated moment numbing his brain for a moment, just let him have his way and almost didn't notice when his shirt was being literally ripped off of him. Gaara had a look of bloodlust in his eyes, and gave Lee the scariest smile Lee had even witnessed in his lifetime. It was then that everything made sense, and Lee could finally utter the one idea that had been awaiting him in his subconscious.

"You're not Gaara…" Lee said slowly, breathing heavily as his face contorted into an expression that was a mixture of confusion, betrayal, fright, anger, and disappointment. The man before him just bent his head down, the smile still on his features. Suddenly his head shot up and he laughed, the most maniacal laughter, a maddening laughter. He was still pressed against Lee, and his hand snaked its way around his belt. But instead of doing anything more mentally scarring he simply grabbed the pouch Lee had been carrying there.

"Not as dumb as you look, pretty boy." The man said, and laughed again. He took Lee's money and opened the door, pushing Lee aside so he could leave. Lee, in his current state of shock, was moved easily, and the man got away. Lee couldn't even bring himself to yell at the man, or chase him. Instead Lee simply closed the door quietly and fell to his hands and knees. He could hear the stable boys protest as his horse was taken from the stables. He heard the horse finally utter his own sounds of protest as he was forced to leave with that stranger. He didn't hear it, but knew that the mysterious male had gotten away. And he couldn't do anything about it, because the only thought going through his head at that moment was thus:

"…So where is Gaara?"

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Okay, so I'm getting the silent treatment from my readers now? Well, I'll post this anyway. And I'm almost done with the next chapter so I'll post that soon, also. Reviews, anyone? I'd like to know if my fans are liking my story, because my Deviant Art fans like it. If you guys don't I can just post it there, because I really don't mind if you guys don't want to read this anymore. Thanks for reading!


	14. A Desperate Search

Chapter 14: A Desperate Search

Lee slept, but it was a restless sleep, and he awoke before the sun had a chance to greet him over the woods now looming in the distance. He gave the key back to a half asleep assistant, and didn't even bother to go to the stables. But he was cut off before he could leave by a stable boy, holding a large object that he was unable to recognize in the pre-morning darkness.

"Sir, I managed to get your bag for you." The boy said, self-disappointment apparent in his voice. Lee smiled, something he hadn't known he was capable of doing this depressing morning.

"Thank you ever so much," Lee said, taking the bag. "But how did you know my horse was being stolen by my companion?" Lee put his hand on the boy's shoulder, seeing a spark of determination flare up in the boy's eyes that were seen even in the darkness of the pre-dawn.

"A feeling, sir." The boy said, now feeling successful in knowing he had been right to follow his instincts.

"Well, I'm glad you were there then. I give you my thanks again." Lee actually bent to give the boy a small hug, not caring if this was too much affection from a stranger. But when Lee went to back away, he saw a steady smile of victory on the boys features, which was contagious, and Lee found himself smiling as he walked away from the inn.

But it didn't last long, before going any further Lee had to figure out which way he should head now. His instincts had been right, Gaara had been this way. And for some reason, Lee knew even without asking that the man he had seen yesterday that seemed to be Gaara was the man who had kidnapped Gaara. So Gaara was near, but where? Lee had met his captor coming this way. That meant Gaara had escaped or been left somewhere up ahead. He wouldn't follow his captor so he had to be heading towards Kusski, even if he didn't know that's where he was headed. So Lee would follow this road towards Kusski once again. He would find Gaara, he was sure of it. He had to, now he really had to, as soon as possible.

Lee decided he couldn't travel as fast if he was carrying this bag, but was still thankful to have it. He decided to do an inventory check, to see what he had and what he could pawn off to get at least a few coins. He had his brown cloak, which covered his now ripped white shirt. It was ripped from the collar to the middle of his chest, so it wasn't indecent, but he was glad to still have his cloak. He also had his coat, but he knew it wasn't safe to wear that. He found about three more meals of dried food, and some small hunting essentials. He could not see himself killing something, so he'd sell the hunting items. That'd probably give him enough money to buy more dried foods and some bread, with a good amount left over. He'd have to keep the coat, even if he couldn't wear it in these parts. He could use it to sleep on if he had to sleep outdoors, which he assumed he would. He could also sell the bags; he'd get some good money for them, because they were made of leather and not cloth. He couldn't sell his sword, it was ever present at his side and even if it would eventually weigh him down he couldn't part ways with it. He'd been given it when he'd become an official royal knight. He'd keep it with him, even if it would probably come to bother him later on.

Lee went to the nearest shop and easily got coins for his saddlebags and hunting kit. He also got enough food to last two weeks and a loaf of bread. He only had a handful of copper coins afterwards, but he didn't care, as long as he had food to last his journey, he wouldn't mind sleeping outside. He then made his way towards the edge of town and towards Kusski. He wouldn't worry about anything but getting from point A to point B for now. Point A being here, this town, and point B being Kusski. If he didn't find Gaara on the way there he'd have no choice but to journey into Kusski.

He could only stand walking for about five minutes, though, and then he forced himself to run. He'd have to rest more often if he ran but he didn't care. He'd force himself to the breaking point, if that was what he had to do to get to Gaara. He didn't realize how fast he was traveling until he reached the point where he had met that stranger with his lover's face. There was no landmark or anything to tell this track of land from the rest of the land surrounding it, but Lee knew it had been this spot. He stopped there for a moment, and then continued running. It was almost sunset, and he was freezing, the tears on his face cooling on his face and making him shiver. He'd find Gaara, he had to.

But first he had to rest, he was about to collapse. He didn't want to, because there seemed to be something in the distance, a house, maybe. From where Lee currently was it looked like a pebble on the horizon. But he was sure it was something, and he'd have to leave it for the next day, for his legs disobeyed when he ordered them to keep going. He made sure to get off of the road before collapsing, and fell to his knees in the dirt where crops had once been. He felt bad for sleeping on someone's property, but in the end he couldn't avoid it. He sat up long enough to get some food in his system and then fell onto the ground and slept.

His dream started off vaguely familiar and pleasant. He dreamt he awoke in Gaara's room back at the palace, the only reason this didn't worry him was because Gaara was there with him. For once Gaara was actually asleep in his arms, truly asleep, his mouth slightly open and his breath making contact with Lee's neck. Lee didn't want to wake him, but couldn't resist putting his arms around Gaara and drawing him close. Gaara groggily returned the embrace and lazily made himself comfortable again against Lee. Lee was so happy; it was his Gaara, not an imposter. But after another moment the form in his arms began to writhe and change, not changing too much physically, but after it was done changing Lee recognized it to be the stranger from before, Gaara's kidnapper. It gave him the smile from before and laughed as it had, and at this Lee found himself actually awake, on the edge of a barren farmland. He was sweating, and had sat up in alarm.

Lee looked over his surroundings, he was back to reality, and it wasn't so pleasant. His legs burned with overexertion, and he was thirstier than he ever had been in his entire lifetime. He had forgotten to get water, and now he was parched. It was well pass dawn, a few hours from noon. Looking ahead he saw the small blotch in the distance, his body filling with hope again. It had to be a house, and he could ask them for some water, pay them for some, if need be.

Gradually, he got up, covered in dirt and sore to the bone. His legs refused to move at first, but he soon got used to the pain of forcing them to move. He approached the object in the distance slowly, and after what seemed like hours he could finally see that it was, indeed, a house. When he got even closer he saw it was a farmhouse, with a large storage area next to it. At noon he was at the door of the house, his hand poised to knock. He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to bother these strangers but his need for water overcame his desire not to intrude. He knocked, and the door was promptly answered by a small but stern looking woman. Her eyes softened when she saw his obvious pain and discomfort.

"Excuse me, I was just wondering if I could get some water? I have some money if you'd like…" But he didn't get to finish; the woman pulled him inside and shut the door behind him. At first he was worried that she was planning to do something weird to him, like those stories the knights always told jokingly to each other. But he was reassured otherwise when her husband came into the room, giving him an amused smile.

"Another one? So soon? Where do they keep coming from, Mari?" The husband said merrily, and they both chuckled while Lee stood there with a bewildered look on his face.

"I don't know, but this one says he just wants some water, get him some, will you?" The woman replied, showing Lee to a table and sitting him down in one of the chairs. He was still confused, but didn't question anything yet. He might feel up to asking questions once he got a drink of water, though. The man came to them a moment later carrying a mug of water and handing it to Lee.

"How weird, to let another stranger into our house so soon. Especially considering the other one just left yesterday." Mari said, sitting down at the table along with her apparent husband. He shook his head.

"It'd be weird if they knew each other, that's what would be weird." The man said, and then he turned to Lee, who was downing the glass of water all at once. "Say, you don't happen to know a boy with shoulder length red hair and green eyes, do you?" He joked, but Lee choked on the water and almost stopped breathing altogether. Mari was quickly by his side, patting his back and trying to get him back to breathing normally again. Once Lee could speak again he turned to the man with a look of disbelief painted on his features.

"You're serious, a boy with red hair and green eyes?" This was too perfect to be true. Gaara had been here, and these people had known him!

"Yes, that's right. Why, do you know him?" The man asked, his own amount of disbelief obvious in his voice. Lee nodded, a smile gracing his face.

"I've been looking for him for a few days, I was hoping to catch up with him soon." Lee said, not wanting to say too much. How much did they know about Gaara? He didn't have to ask, the woman, Mari, started to tell him.

"Oh, I hope you do catch up with him. He's not doing too well, and he refused to stay with us any longer. He left for Kusski around this time yesterday." She said, concern showing through her expression.

"He's not well? What happened?" Lee was now worried, and he only grew more so when the woman shook her head.

"He was injured badly." The man replied and Lee turned to him, concern oozing through his eyes. "I wouldn't usually tell some stranger this much, but you seem honest. Your friend, from what I saw, was raped." The man said slowly, becoming very quite by the end of his sentence, almost mumbling. But Lee heard and all he could do was let a dumbfounded look strike his features. He couldn't say anything for a moment, and stared blankly at the table in front of him. Raped? Gaara was raped? …Oh, Gaara.

"Which way did he go? You said he left yesterday?" Lee said, now needing to get to Gaara even sooner than he had to before. He got up, but the pain in his legs was there to greet him as he stood and he winced. The woman, Mari, came to his side and looked up at him with distress.

"You're hurt, too, aren't you?" She questioned, and Lee looked away nervously.

"Just sore, from running." Lee replied, but he couldn't move towards the door now, Mari stood in his way.

"You've literally been chasing after him, haven't you?" She asked, Lee just nodded.

"And now you're so sore it hurts to move, yet you're going to go after him?" All Lee could do was nod again, and she sighed.

"Ken, get him a water carrier, the traveling one. Fill it with as much as you can." The man nodded and went further into the house once again. She slowly stepped out of his way and opened the door for him. He walked normally, but the perspiration on his forehead gave away the pain he tried to hide. The man was back in another moment and Lee stepped out of the house, before leaving he turned towards them.

"Thank you so much. Not just for helping me, but thank you so much for helping my friend." Lee said, giving them a slight bow before moving to leave. But they got one last question to him before he was gone.

"What's your name, young man?" The man asked and Lee turned once again to answer them and smile.

"It's Lee!" He said, still smiling as he turned to leave. But the smile disappeared, and so did he. He was down the road before they could question him any further.

"How strange…" Mari said as she and Ken went back into their house. They had a feeling that there was something special about those two strangers, and that it was something big. They also found it bizarre that the boys shared the same name, but shrugged it off. For some reason, they knew they'd see the boys again, one day.

On the other hand, Lee was unsure of everything as he forced himself into a run towards Kusski. Gaara had come this way for sure now, and Lee would catch up with him, even if it meant breaking himself. As long as he found Gaara as soon as he possibly could. He didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't help but think about it. He knew why Gaara had run away from the capital now, instead of towards it. The things that must have happened… That man had surely done it to him, how dreadful, to be scarred like that by a man who has your face. Lee couldn't imagine, and didn't want to think about such a horrid thing. But it had really happened, and now even if he did catch Gaara, he wouldn't be the same. Gaara wouldn't be broken, Lee knew him to be stronger than that, but he'd be scarred, mentally, physically, and however else you could be disfigured.

Lee again ran until his vision blackened and he fell face first into the dirt. After letting his eyes rest for a moment he looked up the road, spotting another form in the distance. A town? Yes, it had to be. Lee rolled over out of the road and into the dead grass. He took a long drink from the wine skin filled with water and ate some more of the food he was carrying. He didn't want to go into unconsciousness from overexertion on the side of the road. So he left himself rest, the sun having been set for a long while.

"Oh Gaara…" He muttered sadly as he let himself go into slumber. He was sorry that Gaara had to go through all of this. And he blamed himself for it entirely.

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I almost forgot to post this chapter I just finished! (luckily roses in bloom's review reminded me.) I'll try and start updating more often, and maybe more regularly? I don't know, right now I'm playing around with a quick song fic that I'll proably post before I post the next chapter of this. Sorry! Thank you for reading!


	15. Anyone Can Make it, if They Try

Chapter 15: Anyone Can Make it, if they Try

Li had left the kind strangers at the farmhouse the day before, now he was approaching an odd town. From the looks of it, he had been right in guessing that the first town he would come upon would not be the border. But hadn't expected such an out of the ordinary town. Of course, he'd only seen a few towns in his lifetime, but he still thought this one to be a bit bizarre. It looked neither old nor new; it looked like it had been there like that forever, yet it wasn't falling apart. Maybe this was just what a smaller, poorer town looked like.

He entered the town, glancing around himself like someone stricken with paranoia, which he was, but it was all too obvious. Should he just walk on through? He already had enough food, and didn't really have any money to rent a room with. He hadn't slept the night before, and was really too anxious to sleep. But resting his weary body would be nice.

Just as he was thinking this he spotted an elder man having trouble with his cart. It seemed the crops had fallen off the back of the cart and he was now trying to reload them onto the small surface, all by himself. 'Gaara' wasn't usually one to help strangers, but considering what Mari and Ken had done for him, he'd be a bit more compassionate towards unfamiliar people now. He quickly went to the man's side, not saying anything, but simply helping him reload the cart. It took the old man a moment to notice his sudden aid. And he was dumbstruck with the kindness he was shown; he couldn't even speak words of gratitude for a moment and just continued to replace the crops alongside his unknown assistant. They finished quickly, a lot faster than if the elder had been doing it alone. Once they were finished, Li merely started to walk away.

"Hey, wait a second." The old man shouted, and Li turned him towards him once again.

"I guess I owe you a thank you." The elder male said when he had Li's attention. Li shook his head.

"No need. If you don't need any more assistance, I'll be off." Li replied, waiting for the man's response. This time, the elder smiled.

"You heading towards Kusski?" The man asked, Li nodded in reply. "I can give you a ride to the border, if you promise to help me with my cart."

"Are you sure?" Li asked, and now it was the old man's turn to nod. Li gave him a genuine smile, something he was surprised he could do so easily. The old man then went back to the cart a hopped onto the tall seat, which he could barely get onto by himself. The man patted the seat next to him and took the horses reins into his hands. Once Li was seated next to him they were off, the horses moving at a steady walking pace. They seemed almost as old as the man who owned them, but just as steady.

"Thank you." Li said after they got going down the road, steadily making their way out of the town.

"Not a problem. But that board in the back is weak, if the crops fall out you're in charge of picking them back up, okay?" The elder man said, a witty smile on his face. Li nodded in reply and understood. Unlike how Mari and Ken had helped him, this man had no pity for him. Li liked it better this way; pity was a toxic and putrid thing.

And that's how Li got to rest, get to the town, and make an ally all at once. By that evening they arrived in the city on the border, Li only having to pick up the crops four or five times on the way there. It was still much better than walking. It seemed this was going better than Li had ever expected, and was sad that he'd now have to part with the one man he could see himself tolerating for quite a while longer. Li respected people who knew when to help someone and when to pity someone, because there was a difference.

"Well, I'm staying here, so if you want to get into Kusski before the sun completely sets you better head over there right now." The old man observed Li's hesitation and decided to suggest something else. "Or you can help me out for another couple of days, I'll pay you well enough. Think of it as one last job here in Sabaku before you leave." Li turned towards him, and it seemed that he brightened, even though he didn't smile.

"That sounds…interesting. I'll stay, thank you." Li said quietly, liking this stranger more and more as they spent time together. It was kind of like the spiteful old grandfather he had never known.

"Don't thank me." The elder man said as he hopped off his cart, "You're job starts now." He added with a smile. Li hopped off of the cart and then the old man lead the horses up to a tavern, tying them up to the pole. He then proceeded into the tavern, leaving Li to wait there on his own for a few long moments. He came out again with a large stomached man following behind him.

"Yeah, those go around back. And you can put the horses in the stables and leave the cart near there, too." The large, burly man said. He was rather hairy, except for the top of his head, which was absolutely hair free. The old man nodded to Li and he realized that he was to do what the man had just ordered.

So he dutifully untied the horses and led them to the back of the tavern, where he found a door. He assumed he was to take the crops into there and was proven right when he opened the door to find a storeroom. Once he had stacked all the crops in there he unhooked the horses from the cart ad put them in the appointed stables. He'd seen men do it before, and found he knew how to do manual labor than he had thought he could. It wasn't so hard, as long as he did what he was told and used common sense. He set the cart up next to the stables and went back to the front of the tavern, where he entered unhurriedly. He spotted the old man, whose name he still didn't know and who still didn't know his name, and walked towards him.

"Ah, done so soon? You're better help than I though you'd be, being so scrawny and all." The hairy man from before joked, and it didn't really upset Li. He knew he was very small, and he looked even scrawnier in the clothes he was wearing. The elder man he had arrived with gave him a wide grin, showing his grimy teeth.

"My friend here has agreed to give you a job for a couple days or however long you stay. You'll be waiting tables; in return you'll get a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and a few copper coins a day if you do your job right." The old man said, and quickly added, "A pretty good deal, if you ask me." At this Li nodded lightly in reply, and then turned to the brawny man.

"Thank you, I'll gladly work for you, for at least a few days." Li said, giving him a slight inclination of his head. The man just smiled broadly and put his hands on his hips.

"Well, if you're going to work with me, I should at least know your name." The man said, ending it with an unneeded hearty laugh.

"I don't even know it, and the kid's been with me all day." The old man said, and he laughed a little, too. But his ended with a coughing fit, and Li waited until he was done to reply.

"It's," he paused, almost messing up on his name, "Li."

"Well, Li, I'm Hube. And your job starts now," The man, Hube, said, pointing to a table that had just been left. "Clean off that table, the plates go in that room over there." He said, now motioning towards the door behind the bar counter. "You don't have to wash or cook anything, I've already got people to do that. You're lucky, my old waiter left just yesterday." Hube smiled again, and Li decided that his odd hair growth bothered him, but he could work for this man for a while. The work didn't seem too strenuous; actually, he could've done much worse. A job as a waiter in an okay tavern on the edge of Sabaku was actually a better situation than he had expected to be in a few days before. Of course, go back about five days and he was still with Lee in the capital. He shook the memories out of his head as he cleared off the table and did what he was told, dropping the wooden plates off in a sink in a kitchen that was behind that door. Before he could go back out to see if he had anything else to do, though, he was stopped by his new co-workers.

"Hey, you're new." A tall, dark young man said to him, putting his hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture. Li was tempted to break away from the touch violently and reply with a snide comment like, 'Good observation, genius.' But he stopped himself; he'd have to be nice, it was better to make friends than enemies in this foreign place.

"Yes, my name is Li." He said, being as friendly as he could, but he still didn't manage a smile. Though, the boy next to him smiled, he had a goofy grin that vaguely reminded Gaara of someone.

"It's nice to meet you," The young man said, he might've still been a teenager, but Li couldn't say for sure. "My name's Dekka, and these two are Yuko and Seta." He said, turning Li around to see the other two workers in the kitchen. One, surprisingly, was a female and the other was an adult man who was dark like the guy standing next to him, Dekka. Li managed a smile this time and they waved, but continued to cook whatever it was that they were supposed to be over a large stove, filled with burning logs, which were making the room almost uncomfortably hot. Dekka turned towards him again, still smiling, his hair just barely covering his eyes.

"You're a lot different than the people around here." He observed, and then he smiled again. "And I'm not sure yet, because you don't talk much, but your accent's a little funny, too." Li thought that was a bit funny, since this man was the one with the weird accent, but he didn't comment. Dekka laughed at his silence and Li let his confusion show slightly on his features. Dekka put his hand on Li's shoulder again, and must have assumed they were already friends, Li could tell by the way he smiled.

"You are the quite type." He remarked, still goofily grinning. "Now go back out there, do your job before old Hube gets angry." Dekka said, practically pushing him out the door now, even though he'd been the one to delay Li going back out there in the first place. He'd get used to his overbearing co-worker and his bright personality soon enough. When he went back out Hube gave him other orders, and he got used to his new work easily. He'd always though himself rather smart and talented, so he wasn't surprised that he adapted so quickly.

He worked the rest of that evening, and other than the occasional comments he received from Dekka when he went back into the kitchen he didn't interact with anyone much. He listened to what people wanted and then told Seta and Yuko what to make, and he might have responded to Dekka's foolishness once or twice. They closed the tavern around midnight and it was then that Li was shown the inn part of the tavern. He was told they didn't keep too many rooms because people rarely stayed here in this town. They were either in a hurry to get back into Sabaku or to get into Kusski, but they did get many visitors. They even entertained a few nobles once in awhile, though they only went to the better taverns. Li thought this was a nicely kept place, but didn't say anything. He thought that if he ever were a noble again, he'd definitely come here. And then no one could say anything, because the ruler of Sabaku had dined at this place. That day would never come, but Li had fun thinking about all the things he could do differently if he was 'Gaara' once again.

He was shown his room, but he didn't expect he'd be sharing a room with Dekka. There were two beds, a small window, and a miniature dresser, Dekka entered in right behind him to show him which bed was his.

"And I sleep here. You're lucky you get to sleep next to the window, though it does get drafty sometimes." Dekka said as he flopped down on his own bed. Li sat down on his new bed and wondered if he could fall asleep. He was so used to not sleeping by now that he didn't know if he could force himself to a state of slumber. But it'd be good to rest his muscles anyway, so he quietly lied down on the bed, and turned to look to the window. Dekka put his arms behind his head and decided this was the best chance he'd get to learn more about his new friend. That is, if Li would talk with him.

"So, as I said earlier, you're not from around here. So were are you from?" Dekka asked, and surprisingly, Li answered.

"A bit North from here." Li said, and he wasn't lying. He felt he should talk with his co-worker. Li finally realized that the reason Dekka was being to annoying was because he wanted to be his friend. Dekka just want to be friendly, Li just wasn't used to that kind of thing, especially with other people his own age. He had learned at some point in the night or another that Dekka had also just reached his official adult years.

"That might explain some of it." Dekka replied. "But you still shouldn't be so pale if you live anywhere around here." He laughed a bit, "I have trouble not getting tan."

Li decided to be a little more talkative, and asked a question of his own question. "So, how did you end up working here?"

"Well, when I came of age a few months ago my father told me I had to get a job. I had always worked on a farm near here with my father, but I have three younger siblings so my father said I should start making more money for the family. Next thing I knew I was working here, Hube liked my personality. Said I reminded him of himself when he was younger. Makes me shiver sometimes." He laughed brightly. He talked easily, and Li had always been a listener. It was just a different type of listening he was doing now.

"So, Li, how did you end up here? Oh, it's been bothering me all night, how old are you anyway? You don't look old enough to be on your own, that's for sure." Dekka asked, now turning onto his side to face Li.

"I'm eighteen years, just like you." Li replied, still facing the window, which showed part of the road coming into the town. "And I'm on my way out of Sabaku, I actually didn't plan on getting a job here. But I realized I didn't have money and that'd probably need some eventually."

"What about your family?" Dekka asked, happy that LI was finally opening up to him. They'd be best friends by the end of the week, Dekka would make sure of it.

"They'll miss me, but they'll understand one day." Hopefully, Li added in his mind. He didn't feel like lying to Dekka, even though he had prepared so many lies to tell if questions like these came up. If he didn't say everything, it wasn't lying, and it made him feel better about everything, talking with someone who seemed to genuinely care like this. He'd never had a friend, he realized, other than Lee.

"Won't you miss them? At least I get to stay here close to my family." He continued his questions, though he was getting tired fast. He stifled a yawn.

"Of course." Li answered simply, he'd miss his siblings. Wasn't that only natural?

"And isn't there anyone else you'll miss? A girl or something?" Dekka asked, thinking of his own crush on a girl who lived in town.

"Yes, there's one person. But it's better this way." Li replied, not even chocking up like he though he would. Maybe one day he'd be able to look back at his time spent with Lee and smile. But not yet, it was still too tender a wound.

"I don't see how it could possibly be better for anyone. It sounds like you had people who cared about you." Dekka remarked, but all he got in reply was an uncomfortable silence. "Of course, I don't question your reasoning." He quickly added, hoping he hadn't stepped on any toes. He again looked at his new co-worker, roommate, and friend.

"I almost forgot to ask." Dekka added quickly, before he felt himself falling asleep. "How'd you get those nasty scars?" At this Li turned to him and away from the window. Dekka pointed to the scars on his face and neck, the one on his neck being covered by bandages.

"Oh…those." Li replied, touching them like he didn't know they had been there. They'd stopped bothering him so he'd almost forgotten about them. After another minute of silence Li still didn't say anything.

"Well, you don't have to tell me now. Never mind, I'm going to sleep now. 'Night." Dekka said, not angrily but groggily as he let his eyes close and fell almost immediately to sleep.

Li stayed up, and turned to face the window again. For some reason he expected someone to come down that road, but he didn't know whom. He let his eyes rest but was plagued by thoughts of what could have been had he never run into that Shukaku man. He thought of where that man might be right now, how he might be very near or very far away. Considering how fast he had traveled when he'd kidnapped him, Shukaku could be anywhere. But Li had a feeling that it wasn't where Shukaku was that mattered, it was what he was planning to do.

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So, here's another chapter! Because I know I can, and Roses in Bloom is still reading for sure, right? Awesome. In this chapter we see that Gaara AKA Li has learned humility, omfg. And I don't know what else to say, I'm tired and I want to hurry up and get to chapter 17. (Because that should be a good chapter, I think...)


	16. To be Very Unlucky

Chapter 16: To be Very Unlucky

Lee awoke late in morning, it was almost noon, and yet he was still tired. He assumed he'd stay tired, and he'd have to make do with the sleep he had, because if he didn't get up and start towards Kusski Gaara might cross the border before he could get to him. And if he crossed the border it'd be that much more complicated to find him. So he got up, with much effort, and collected his things into his small burlap sack. He ate a little, hoping he'd get some energy out of it, because he didn't feel like he had any energy at this moment. Then he walked towards what was becoming a town the closer and closer he got to it. He walked now, promising himself that he'd force himself to run later on, let his muscles warm up before he started running. But this was a lie, his muscles were overheated, and he had pushed all of the ones in his legs to the brink of destruction. He walked right through the town, and when he got to the edges of it he decided to start running, since it was already a little past noon. But as soon as he started he was forced to stop and fell to his knees, his eye tearing up at the pain. He'd pulled a muscle, or maybe multiple muscles, he didn't know. All he knew was that his legs hurt like hell, and he was stuck on the edge of a small, foreign town in the middle of nowhere. He could even force himself back up to his feet. He had damaged himself more than he thought he had. So these were his limits? He felt disappointed in himself; he'd never reach Gaara if his body gave out on him this early in the chase.

He had no idea of what to do. When he pulled a muscle training he had to rest up for at least a day and get medicine for it, sometimes he even needed a splint. But he didn't have time for that. Maybe he was wrong and his legs were just sore? He tried to get up again, but the pain was unbearable, and he recognized this searing pain. He had most definitely strained a muscle or two. If he had been a less virtuous man he might have sworn, but he was really close to saying an inappropriate words or two.

The town wasn't deserted, though, and it was the afternoon, the busiest part of the day for most towns. So a woman eventually spotted the stranger on his knees in the middle of the road. She was about the same age as Lee, maybe a bit younger. But she looked smart and cunning, even with her shoulder length pink hair, which was odd to say the least.

"Excuse me sir, but are you quite all right?" She asked, walking towards him. He looked up at her and she saw his face distorted in pain. He didn't even need to answer; she knew he was injured somehow.

"What happened to your legs?" She asked, sure it must have been his legs that were bothering him, and she assisted him in getting them out from under himself. That helped ease the pain a little.

"Ah, I think I've strained them." He said lightly, not wanting to worry this girl or ask for her help. But he really did need help, and she could see that.

"Here, let me check." She them proceeded to run her hand down the length of his leg. If he could have, he would have moved his leg away in shock from the sudden touch, but he couldn't, and she continued whatever it was that she was doing. She paused around his calf, where she could feel a large bump, which signified a torn muscle.

"You're lucky I found you. Your calf muscle is torn." She checked his other leg. "No, I'll correct myself, both of your calf muscles are torn. Pretty badly, if you ask me." She looked at him, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.

"How do you know?" He asked, not snidely, but because he was perplexed.

"Oh, I didn't mention why you were luck I found you." She smiled and then continued, "I'm this town's medicine 'man.'" Her expression laughed. "I'm just lacking in the man part. I'm a great healer, everyone says so. But none of the larger towns will take me, so I stay here. So you really are lucky." She said, but he thought he was rather unlucky to have torn his muscles in the first place. Especially when he was probably only a day's travel behind Gaara.

"I guess I am lucky, that is, if you're going to help me." He said, giving her a mocking smile, because he couldn't help but smile when someone was smiling at him so honestly.

"Of course. It's my treat if you let me experiment on you. I have a muscle treatment I've been meaning to try out. But there aren't enough wounded people in this town, everyone's too healthy!" Again her expression laughed.

"Should you treat me here or do I have to move?" He asked, mildly joking with her. She had such a defiant smile, not womanly at all. It made her all the more likeable.

"Sure, and you can get up by yourself." She replied jokingly, and then helped him up, his body completely weighted onto her. She was practically carrying him, but showed no forced effort. She wasn't very womanly other than her looks, which could've deceived anyone that she was a well-mannered farm girl who lived only to marry, cook food, and make babies. With her personality, though, Lee couldn't see her doing any of those.

"Where are we going?" Lee finally asked, and she didn't laugh, but her eyes did.

"My house, of course." She stated, as they made their way to a small building towards the middle of the town that had sign over it. The sign read 'Medicine,' and nothing more.

"Do you always pick up strangers and drag them into your home?" Lee said, still not wanting to be serious. If he stopped joking, reality would catch up with him and he'd become utterly depressed.

"Only the good looking ones." She replied lightly as she opened the door and took him inside. Had he not been engaged and totally in love with a man already he could have seen himself easily liking this woman as more than a friend. But he didn't like her like that, but did feel a very strong friendly feeling towards her. And that was mixed in with the gratitude he felt towards her, even if she hadn't fixed his legs yet. He felt that she would and he'd be fine soon. At least, he hoped that was what was going to happen.

She set him down a stiff bed, which had obviously seen other patients before. She sat down in a chair of her own across from the bed and gave him a contemplating smile.

"Let's start off with how this happened. A muscle tear like this can happen one of two ways. One being direct contact, in other words being physically wounded by an outside object. Two being you overexerted yourself, and I suspect it's the latter." She continued to smile, and he couldn't help but wonder if she smiled at her patients whom had scythes stuck in their legs. Because he was sure that she must have, she also probably smiled at women who had miscarriages.

"You're right, it's the second one." He replied easily. He really didn't want to waste time talking, he wanted her to try and fix him as soon as possible.

"So, why were you pushing yourself so hard? A tear like that doesn't come easily, and you seem to be a bright young man. You knew you'd get hurt if you pushed yourself too hard. So the question is 'why'?" She asked, only because she was curious. It had nothing to do with the medical treatment she had to give him.

"I'm trying to find someone." Lee answered, not really wanting to go into detail. But she wanted details, and if he wanted her to help him, he'd have to supply her with those details.

"Must be someone special, considering how doggedly you're pursuing her." She said, her eyes still laughing, but she had yet to laugh aloud once.

He had no reason to hide Gaara's gender now, and no reason to lie to this stranger. So he replied with, "He's not a female." At this she almost let out a real laugh, but instead her smile just broadened.

"So it's your best friend? Your brother? Maybe even your long lost father?" She questioned, making assumptions, but he stopped her before she could say anymore.

"My," He hesitated, but decided he wanted to tell somebody, and he turned a little red as he finished, "fiancé."

"How taboo!" She said, still smiling, if not genuinely now. "I think I like you already. So lets get a look at those legs." At this she suddenly pushed his pants up to his thighs and started to examine his legs. After a moment of close examination she looked at him, another unreadable emotion in her eyes.

"So, what's your name?" She asked, catching Lee off guard. She wasn't predictable, that was for sure.

"It's Lee." He answered and she nodded at this.

"I expected as much." She then went back to studying his legs, lifting them at the knee, poking them and prodding them as she pleased. She added another minute later, "My name's Sakura." She said the comment like it was a reply to a question never asked but was to be asked soon enough. After a few more pokes and squeezes she left his legs alone and turned away from him, heading towards a medicine table near the back of the room.

"As I said before, I haven't had the chance to try this out yet but I'm sure it works. It might actually be better than what other people use, but I'm not going to promise anything spectacular yet." She was quickly sorting through different colored bottles of odd-looking mixtures, finding the certain one she was hoping for towards the back. It was a pale green color and looked thick like a lotion. She then turned back towards him, her green eyes still giving an amused smile. Those emerald eyes vaguely reminded him of Gaara, and made him even more anxious to get back to his mission.

"Turn over, so I can get to your calves easier." She directed, and he obeyed. She probably was younger than him, but she had an air that command respect. She was obviously a skilled healer, and at such a young age.

"How long have you been practicing medicine?" He wondered aloud as she poured some of the liquid onto her open hand.

"A couple of years now. The woman who taught me is actually considered a sage and lives towards the capital. After my training she said I needed to go practice somewhere for awhile and make a name for myself." Sakura chatted on nonchalantly. As she spoke she started to rub the mixture onto his calves. She was already like professional when it came to treatment, and he was sure one day all her hard work would pay off. Maybe, after he found Gaara, and after everything was back to how it needed to be, he could get her a job in the capital. That would show her mentor how skilled she was, and the palace's personal medicine man was getting very old anyway. He wished this could all be over, or that it had never happened. And the one thought that kept bothering him, and kept telling him nothing was going to turn out right, was the thought that Gaara had been raped. He tried not to think about it, and that maybe the man had been mistaken. He thought that everything would be all right when he found Gaara. But subconsciously he knew better than to think that. For now, though, he couldn't loose hope. He'd think about everything else after he had found Gaara.

After being lost in thought for a little while Lee was shocked to notice the sudden relief in his legs when he checked back in with reality. "Wow, Sakura-san, it really seems to be working!" He almost felt like he could get up and run again, and he might have, had Sakura not been holding him down, still working on his calves.

"Of course it is, I'm not an amateur." She replied, her touch seeming to heal the afflicted area. He decided to focus on the present, and not get lost in thought again.

"Hey," he started, wondering, "how is your hair that color?" It was a pretty odd color. You seem people with red hair, orange, white, but not such a pink as that.

"Now that I won't tell." She said, a grin in her voice. "It's my secret, and it gets a lot of attention. One day, maybe, I'll tell everyone, when I'm good and famous." She was quite the daydreamer, but also down to earth, knowing that the only way anyone got by was by working hard and being the best at what they do. She, in more ways than she would have admitted, was a lot like Lee. And he could tell just by knowing her for this short while. He again thought that if he wasn't in love already he might have asked this woman to stay with him forever right then and there.

"Ok, get up." She said suddenly as she backed away from him. He was puzzled, but did as he was told, his legs giving him very little resistance now. His pants fell back over the rest of his legs as he stood, and there was little to no pain now. It was almost unreal, but in the most real way possible. He stood for a moment, in shock that he could stand so soon. He remembered the last time he had torn a muscle, he'd been in bed maybe a week? He'd talk Gaara into giving this woman a job at the castle, when everything was back as it needed to be.

"So, how do they feel? Walk a bit, if you can." He did thus and walked around the room, pacing a bit to get the feeling that they were doing better already.

"They feel better than they have in days." He said, being completely honest. She just nodded and he stopped his pacing. "Is that all, are they healed?" He asked, amazement apparent in his face.

"Oh no, if it were that easily done I would have to use magic or something. But they are in the process of healing. I've stopped the internal bleeding, as I thought it would." She smirked and handed him the bottle that was still three fourths full.

"You'll need to apply this every day, though, until it runs out. And if you're going to run, wear these." She said, walking away for a moment to her supplies only to come back with strips of white cloth. He instantly though of the white strips of cloth Gaara had to wear, but knew that these would be used for something else.

"Thank you," he replied, taking the cloth. He held it, not knowing what to do with it, and she sighed while still grinning.

"Wrap them around your calves. You can do that by yourself, right?" She stated, sarcastically patronizing him. He nodded and sat, unlacing his boots so he could wrap the cloth from his ankles to his knees. He then stood and his pants covered them completely.

"Why do I wear these, though?" He asked, though they did feel nice on his legs.

"They're already drenched and dried in the stuff I put on your legs. It'll help you if you go and push yourself again." She replied, giving him a knowing smile. She knew he was going to abuse his legs, and had luckily had the items to be one step ahead. He felt he need to thank her now, and promised himself to contact her again in the future. He got out what few coins he had left and tried to hand them to her. She pushed his hand away, though.

"Keep it, just run by here on your way back or whenever you get the chance to. I'd like to meet your fiancé." She said, still smiling, and he had already grown to like that smile.

"It's a promise. And I'd stay longer, but…" He started, bowing to so his graditude and then making his way towards the door.

"You have to get going, I understand. So off with you, go! Just don't break your legs until you get back here, okay?" She said, interrupting him. He went out the door and waved from down the street as he already started to run. She just gave him a weak smile in reply, knowing she wouldn't regret having treated him for free. Before he was out of sight, she yelled, "Don't forget, you owe me!"

"I know!" He replied from a distance, and then disappeared. She had to check her eyes, but he really was that fast after he got started again. She was sure he'd get to where he was going and catch up with that certain someone. She regretted not having asked his fiancé's name.

Lee was off, his legs feeling as they had when he had started, even before he had ridden the horse. He was going at his top speed, and he could barely feel the constant pain in his legs. He was flying fast now, he'd make it to the border town before nightfall, or it was a lap around the whole country of Kusski!

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Okay, here's a new chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviews. Currently the person who reviews my latest chapters is roses in bloom. Ans she's just being awesome. Everyone else, you still rock, and I expect you're just busy with school or something. I hope it's not my writing that has scared you off. Anyway, the Sakura in this chapter, I'd like to say, is the awesome older Sakura, Shippuden style and then some. I hate younger Sakura, ew. But I like her in the newest episodes. I'm rushing thorgh chapters, and these new ones aren't very long. But here's why, the next chapter is titled 'Finally a Reunion,' so you can just guess what major awesome happens next time. Thanks again, hope you all have some wonderful days.


	17. Finally a Reunion

Chapter 17: Finally a Reunion

On his second day in the town on the border Li was called into work very early. Dekka, who should've been used to it, still complained loudly.

"No one's even here, and all of the guests are still asleep. So why do we have to get up so early, the sun isn't even out yet!" He said loudly to Hube, who just smiled like he'd already heard this a million times. He didn't even have to reply, Dekka had heard the reply so many times he'd already memorized it.

"'It gives us all the more time to clean the place up,' I know I know." He answered his own question and Hube just nodded as they went from their room and back into the tavern. Li was given fewer chores than the others, but the others had done all their chores before so they completed them with more ease. Yet they were all done about the same time, and waited for customers to come or the inn's guests to wake up and come in for their breakfast.

Dekka, who was lying over the bar counter commented, "This is very boring." It was followed by a yawn and he rolled over so his head was hanging over the counter upside down.

"Don't lay on the table like that unless you want to clean it again." Hube said, giving him a glare.

"Man," he said with a frown, which was a smile since he was upside down. He got up a moment later and walked over to Li. "Here, Li, I'll just sleep on you." And he playfully put his arm around Li's shoulders and leaned onto him. Li decided he'd have none of this and stepped away from him, and Dekka hit the floor.

"Hey, Li! I thought you were nice!" He remarked loudly, giving a fake grimace of hurt.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Li replied, smiling openly himself.

After a moment of silence Dekka got up and looked at Li. "You've got a creepy smile, Li." He stated, giving Li his overly confident grin. Li gave him a quizzical look and shrugged. It was then that someone finally walked into the place and Dekka was ordered to go to the kitchen. But Li didn't really notice, and did what he was told without thinking much about it. He was busy remembering. It hadn't been the first time he was told he had a creepy smile.

"Hey, Nii-san!" The child with the strange bowl cut hair said as he ran towards him. They met here almost everyday, but the boy still acted as if they always ran into each other by chance.

"_Are we going to play again today?" He paused for a moment, to catch his breath. He was an apprentice to a knight, and he still had no idea who this boy with the bright red hair was. Though, when asked, the boy wouldn't answer, so he gave up on trying to find out._

"_Gai-sensei taught me a new game." That was the name of the knight he worked under, as the crimson haired boy had observed. "It's called ninjas!" His dark head finally stopped moving as the boy managed to regulate his breath. He wasn't very strong or fast, and he wasn't very good looking. But the boy with raven hair and eyes was the other boy's only friend. He was born a prince, but treated as an outcast. The only one who associated himself with the so-called 'monster' was this young apprentice. So the young prince nodded his head in reply and received a bright grin from the other boy._

"_Okay, in this game we can pretend we're 'ninjas.' Gai-sensei told me that ninjas aren't just a legend, but they're real! He told me he met a ninja once, but that he wasn't supposed to tell me because the ninja had told him not to tell anyone. Anyway, when you play the game, you fight, but not for real." The dark haired boy said, talking enough for the both of them. They were only seven and eight, and the black topped boy usually didn't speak so much, but when with the red headed boy he spoke with ease. Making up for the prince's lack of speech. _

"_It sounds a lot like the other games." The smaller, yet stronger, green eyed boy noted. Instead of getting angry that he'd said that, the slightly taller boy nodded._

"_It is, but it's still really fun. Ready to begin?" He said smiling. The dark eyed boy always lost, yet continued to play and never gave up. But recently, he'd started to get better and better. He swore one day, he'd win. And the crimson haired boy waited for him to fulfill that promise. _

_They play fought in the open field in the abandoned part of the courtyard. They decided not to use weapons, and merely pretended to throw punches and kicks at each other. The older boy got really close to winning this time, and caught the other boy by surprise. They stopped after awhile when they were tired, the dark haired boy being more so. He smiled at the hated prince, breathing heavily._

"_I almost won that time, Nii-san!" The ebony-eyed boy said, still grinning. He referred to the other boy as being older, only because he had never learned his age. When he thought about it, he knew almost nothing about the other boy. _

"_You did." Was all the boy said in reply. _

"_Hey, Nii-san," the boy started, still trying to catch his breath. "Will you play with me forever?" He asked, blushing slightly. This boy had never had a friend either, and was afraid that the red haired boy might leave him alone one day. He didn't want that, he considered the boy his best and only friend._

"_Yes." The emerald-eyed boy replied simply. And without realizing it, he gave the other boy a smile. It was the only grin or smile or smirk the dark haired boy had ever seen on the pale boy's features. Though it was strange, the dark haired boy was glad to have finally seen his friend smile._

"_Nii-san, I like your smile," the boy hesitated for a moment, "but it's kind of creepy." And at this the other boy laughed, first only a small chuckle, but it quickly turned into a full on laugh, just as creepy and sudden as the smile. Yet it was the most wonderful sound the small black haired child had heard, and he let his own laugh mix with the other boy's. The next time they met was when the ebony haired boy finally won. And soon after that was when the one friend he had suddenly left. The crimson haired boy went back on his word, and the other boy was heart broken. _

Remembering this childhood only made him miss Lee more. And once again he was glad they had found each other after that. But he realized he had gone back on his word again. He had promised to stay with Lee, and here he was, running from his past. Gaara thought of what he could have done. Maybe he should have gone back to Lee, even if… maybe he hadn't made the right decision after all.

But he couldn't go back now, or could he? He wondered what would happen if he decided to go back. But then he remembered why he was running away, because of Shukaku. If he went back to the castle he'd just be bringing Shukaku back with him. It was all bad decisions to make, he wanted better options. He continued to work, half-heartedly but efficiently. Gaara was awoken once again to the present by a hand on his shoulder and a loud voice interrupting his thoughts.

"Hey, Li, it's our lunch break!" Dekka said coming from behind him, grinning like a fool. He was snapped back into the present, and nodded in reply. Though he continued to just stand there, not knowing what great significance this event entailed. Dekka gave a happy sigh at this.

"Come on, we get some time to eat and relax. Everyone else already had their lunch break. And Seta and Yuko made our food for us. We can eat out back." He said merrily, taking Li by the arm and dragging him through the kitchen, easily grabbing their food on the way out the back, through the storage room. They sat out by the tavern, in the shadow of the building, facing the woods. Dekka sat down and handed Li his plate of food. It looked pretty good, and the sat in peaceful silence as Dekka downed his food and Li poked at his, eating a bit of it. He wasn't really hungry in the first place.

"Is that really all you're going to eat? No wonder you're so scrawny!" Dekka remarked, and Li just shrugged.

"Never been much of a big eater." He replied, handing what was left of his food to Dekka.

"You sure?" He asked, and Li nodded. He easily finished off the food as Li gazed off into the forest. He realized he'd never seen a forested area like this before. He wondered what it would be like to travel through a completely forested area. All the trees seemed interesting, he could even spot a few things moving in the distance, perhaps some animals? He did not know. He knew the forest would also be a very strange place to travel; he could have been ambushed easily in an area like that.

"So, you said you're not from around here, somewhere north? Is that why you're staring at the forest like you've never seen one before?" He asked, smiling as he set the now empty plates aside.

"It's exactly that." Li replied. All the green reminded him of Lee, since that had always been a favorite of his. He couldn't remember why or how he knew that, but he did. And it set him even more into his memories, but he didn't get much time for reminiscing. Dekka seemed to grow nervous when there was too much silence.

"So, how much longer do you think you're going to stay?" He asked suddenly, and Li shrugged again.

"I could leave tonight, or I could leave weeks from now. It all just depends, I guess." Li replied quietly, not knowing how to answer that question. It was the one question that was there in his face, a decision he would have to make. He'd see what happened, for some reason he felt that something was going to happen soon that would help him make his decision.

"Well, I think you'll leave soon." Dekka stated after a moment.

"What makes you say that?" Li questioned, it was Dekka who now shrugged.

"I don't know, just a feeling." He said, and the joined Li in gazing at the dense forested area ahead of them. They sat there for a few peaceful moments before they were called back into work.

The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly but easily, and they got an unusual rush towards sunset. Dekka had to come back from the kitchen and help with serving, they had twice the usual amount of customers, Hube had said. And that night they already had five people staying at the inn, which was exciting for them, they said, because there were only six rooms. If one more person asked for a room tonight they'd be full. Hube was joyous, parading around like the baron instead of like the host of a tavern.

"And it's all thanks to you, attracting all of the younger crowd with your mysterious good looks." Hube said to Li a little after sunset, when he was good and drunk. Li was a little shocked at this, and finally noticed all the eyes that kept glancing towards him. Was it really because of him? He doubted it, and ignored the attention once again. He might as well, he'd already been used to much more unwanted attention than this.

A little while later he was told by Dekka they'd gotten one last customer who asked for a room. He was excited, and told Li he could handle the last customer. Li decided he'd go help cleaning up in the kitchen. Even Seta and Yuko had heard the news, and were a bit excited themselves. When they finished the dishes Dekka was already taking the last customers plate back and smiling. Hube told Li to take over and give the man the key to his room and show him where it was. Li nodded and grabbed the last key from the hooks and walked over to the sitting area.

The man was facing away from him, his position slouched and his clothes vaguely familiar. He also had the ebony hair of a certain knight, and looked rather tall, even in his slouched sitting position. He was looking out the window at the last light from the sun, and let out a hefty sigh. Gaara completely forgot everything for a moment; this man was too familiar to be a stranger. He forgot why he had been approaching the man, or where they even were.

"…Lee?" He questioned the figure softly as he approached from behind. The person addressed responded immediately, and for a moment, couldn't believe his own eyes. He then gave an overly large smile, hoping that this wasn't a dream. And if it was but a dream it was still all right, because there was Gaara. Lee couldn't resist the urge any longer than a moment and got up to wrap his arms around the man before him. He was pushed away, though, and he gave Gaara a look of apprehension.

"Shh, I work here." Gaara quickly explained softly, and then in a normal tone of voice said, "I'll show you to you're room now." He then let Lee follow him into the hallways leading to the small rooms of the inn. It was then that Gaara let his expression falter, and a look of disbelief encompassed his own features.

Gaara showed Lee his room at the end of the hall, but didn't hand him the key. Lee was impatiently waiting to be given the okay to hug Gaara so tight he couldn't breath, but instead Gaara looked up at him gravely.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." Gaara said, not giving Lee the key and walking back towards the bar. He went into the kitchen where he saw Dekka cleaning up the last of the plates.

"Hey, Li!" Dekka said merrily, but shut up at Li's serious look.

"Can you cover for me tonight? I promise to try and explain everything in the morning. I'll be here, okay?" Gaara said with urgency, which made Dekka give him a serious look, the first one Gaara had seen on his features.

"Of course I can, don't worry. But you owe me an explanation." And after the serious moment was passed Dekka smiled again. Gaara nodded his thanks and then went back to the guest hallway, where Lee was standing. For once his waiting was impatient and he was shifting his weight and couldn't stand still. He saw Gaara approaching and almost said something, but Gaara stopped him.

"Wait a moment, we'll talk in here." Gaara said as he opened the door, leading Lee in and shutting the door behind him. Lee couldn't wait any longer and took the red head into his arms. He held him as tightly as he could; still not sure he was actually there at all.

"Oh Gaara, I'm sorry." Lee said, now crying tears of bliss and sorrow all at once, holding Gaara's head to his shoulder. Gaara couldn't do anything, he was in shock. He should've known better, he had underestimated Lee's love for him. And Lee's own bit of luck that he possessed. What confused Gaara the most was why Lee was apologizing.

"Why?" Gaara muttered into Lee's shoulder, but this just made Lee shake more with his sobs of relief and regret. Lee just held him, not answering until he could calm his own tears. He felt bad that he was crying, when he was the one who needed to support Gaara. In the end, though, he knew that he was crying for the both of them, since Gaara couldn't cry himself. Once he was done he let Gaara go and the sat on the edge of the inn's bed. They had to talk, both having questions they wanted to ask one another.

"Gaara, I'm sorry, this is all my fault…" Lee started, not being able to look up a Gaara. He could feel the tears welling up again; he was a very emotional person.

"It is not." Gaara replied simply, tilting Lee's chin up so that they could look at each other. It was then that Lee registered the cut on Gaara's face and his bandaged neck.

"What happened? Your face…" Lee said quietly, putting his hand to the scar on Gaara's cheek. Gaara didn't pull away from the touch and let his hand rest there. "And your neck… Gaara, I'm so sorry…" Lee stated these things with long pauses in between, thinking of the physical as well as mental hurt that had been forced upon Gaara. No matter what Gaara said, he believed it all to be his fault.

"Lee, I have to tell you." He paused, looking into Lee's eyes. Lee looked ready to cry again, but Gaara needed to tell him. It was something Lee needed to know. "I've been," he started, but then restarted, "I'm not … pure anymore." Gaara finished, feeling the pain swell in him as he looked away from Lee. If Lee didn't understand he couldn't explain it any further. But Lee just embraced him again, holding him tight.

"I know, Gaara, and I'm sorry…" Lee said, he couldn't stop apologizing. He had told himself he wouldn't apologize as much anymore, but he couldn't stop. He needed Gaara to know he truly was sorry. Gaara let himself be held, it was actually… comforting.

"How do you know?" Gaara asked, and Lee shook his head.

"Don't worry, I heard from that nice couple, Ken and Mari I believe." Lee confessed, still holding Gaara like he might disappear again. Gaara noted how lucky Lee had been in finding him, especially so soon.

"Lee, how did you find me?" Gaara said, not really asking, but stating the impossible fact aloud. He then slowly put his arms around Lee, knowing he was safe, at least for the moment. He wouldn't think too hard about anything else; he was just fine with thinking only about their being together again.

"I'd like to say it was love, but that'd only be part of the story." Lee replied softly, smiling into Gaara's hair. The thought of being with Gaara again finally settled in his head. They had really found each other again.

" I left as soon as you were kidnapped, trying to follow you and your captor. But there was no way of knowing which way you had gone, so I followed my instincts." Lee started, deciding to tell of his own adventures before asking Gaara to share his.

"You really are lucky." Gaara said, still wondering how Lee had really known which way to go. Maybe they did share some kind of bond, how else was Lee able to track him down so accurately?

"Sometimes. After about a full day of riding I stayed at a town, the town before the farmhouse where you had stayed. The next day I met your captor, who I had thought was you." That was all Lee had to say, Gaara nodded. "He stole my horse and my money when I took him into my room."

"Did he get to you, too?" Gaara asked, a bit afraid of the answer.

"No, I figured out it was you almost the moment we started, you know, kissing." Lee said bashfully, not wanting to admit he'd kissed someone other than his beloved fiancé. "He left after I figured him out, taking my things with him. After that I went in search of you again, heading towards here on a whim. I had forgotten water, though, and when I asked Mari and Ken for some they obliged, and told me you had indeed been there only the day before. They also told me you had been injured, and I knew I had to find you then." Lee held him tightly, wanting to express how worried he had been. "But I pushed myself too hard, and ended up tearing both of my calf muscles in the city before this one." Here, Gaara interrupted him.

"You're legs? How long ago?" Gaara questioned, almost breaking away from Lee's embrace to check the knight's legs himself.

"This morning, but don't worry Gaara! I'm not finished, and my legs are fine now." He kept Gaara in his arms, still wanting to have the crimson haired male's body against his own. "When my legs collapsed under me in overexertion a woman, Sakura-chan, helped me with them. Usually a muscle tear takes days or weeks to heal. She was done in a little less than an hour. All I have to do is keep the medicine she gave me on it and I should be fine. My legs felt so much better; I ran all the way here before sunset. And I ended up staying here, I'm so glad." Lee then squeezed Gaara a bit. He knew Gaara was injured, so he resisted his urges to hug him too tightly, or to force himself upon him. He knew Gaara might not be ready for too much yet, especially after what had happened to him.

"I really did underestimate you…" Gaara said, though he was glad. He hadn't known Lee had loved him so much, but he should have. He knew now that running away from the capital had been very foolish, particularly since he should have known Lee would come after him with the utmost diligence. "You really do love me." Gaara said quietly as he held Lee a little tighter.

"Of course, Gaara. That is why I've pledged myself to you; mind, body and soul." Lee stated, his words making Gaara feel worse about himself, embarrassed of himself for the first time in his life.

"But Lee? You can still say that, knowing…" Gaara didn't get to finish, Lee cut him off.

"Now why would that change anything? You're still you, and therefore I still love you, just as much as before, if not more." Lee claimed, rubbing his face in the lovely crimson hair. Gaara had thought that being violated like that would erase all of his physical contact desires, at least for a while. Though he still felt himself drawn to Lee, not as violently as he had been before, but it was still there. Shukaku may have taken him in the most brutal and primal of ways, yet he still felt the need for Lee's soft, loving touch.

Gradually, Gaara moved so that he was next to Lee's face, and with even more effort, he brought his lips to Lee's. Lee answered his touch with gentleness, no erotic intentions, but only affection, simple and pure. And Lee's acting tenderly wasn't caused by his sympathy for Gaara, no, it was just love. Which made it tolerable to Gaara; he didn't want to be treated like he was made of glass just because of that one incident. But he did need to be treated with kindness and a caring caress, and that was something Lee could readily offer.

No recollections came to them as the kiss deepened, and for a while they decided without words to think of only one another, and not of the events that lead them to being there in that inn together. Instead, they'd just focus on the being together part. Gaara quickly untied and removed Lee's cloak, which revealed his ripped shirt. There was no wound, yet the cloth was ripped past his clavicle.

"What happened here?" Gaara said as their lips parted, his fingers lightly touching the torn cloth. Lee didn't really want to answer, he really just wanted to hold Gaara closer, keep his arms around him for as long as he could.

"Ah, when I ran into Shukaku I really thought it was you, and…" Lee started, not wanting, to really say anything more, and Gaara stopped him from continuing. Gaara removed the shirt and brought his lips to the knights again. Lee, in a mimic sort of fashion, removed Gaara's shirt slowly and carefully over his head as they kissed, only breaking apart when the shirt needed to pass over Gaara's head. In that instant Lee saw the bandaged wounds on Gaara's abdomen and arms. Without a word Lee moved his mouth to each wound, kissing it lightly while muttering loving apologies to each and every one of them. He then, checking for more injuries of course, removed Gaara's pants, leaving him in his small shorts. Lee saw the wounds on Gaara's legs and continued his own little therapy, kissing the inside of Gaara's thigh lightly.

After he had gotten to all of the visible lesions Lee moved his head back up to Gaara's, where he couldn't help but hold the royal heir to himself again. He held him tightly, not wanting to have him ever leave his grasp again. "Gaara, I love you so much…" He paused to let a few tears fall onto Gaara's now bare shoulder. "I don't want you to ever leave me again, okay?" Gaara nodded against the knight, whose voice was at his ear. Gaara found himself thanking everything that had brought them together again. Lee was his irrational sense, the one that was full of optimism and told him everything was going to be all right no matter what. Gaara didn't have that part of himself, so he needed Lee there, to tell him all the illogical things he needed to hear.

"I won't." Gaara whispered into Lee's ear, the ebony hair he knew so well brushing against his face. Gaara couldn't see it but Lee smiled, and he was now finished with his silent crying. Then Gaara, wanting to go further, deciding he was ready to go a bit further, licked the inside of Lee's ear. It sent a shiver of pleasure through the knights whole system and he almost couldn't stand the bliss when Gaara lightly nipped at his ear lobe.

"Ah, Gaara…" Lee moaned lightly, panting into his love's ear. He was easily excitable, but didn't want to be. He knew Gaara needed time, but then why was he being so intimate? Lee tried to calm himself, but could not even form coherent thoughts when Gaara moved down his neck. Gaara, without much effort, pushed him backwards into the bed, which wasn't very large, and as they lay sideways on it their legs had to stay over the edge. The red headed male moved his lips up to Lee's and their kisses were heated, their bodies already perspiring. Gaara made a move to slip his shoes off and Lee copied this. Their tongues were getting to know each other once again, and they explored one another's mouth as if they were memorizing every part of them.

Gaara then moved himself so that he was straddling Lee, and the contact was almost too much for the knight to bear. Gaara felt soreness in him but ignored it and continued to enjoy his contact with Lee. As their breath met in the small space that separated their faces while they tried to get some oxygen in them Lee felt himself needing to drawn Gaara closer. The knight wrapped his arms around the waist of the boy on top of him and brought him down so that their bare chests were touching. Their groins were still connected, and Gaara's legs still on either side on Lee. He wanted contact, he subconsciously grinded into the body next to his, and felt urge to mount his beloved. But he fought the urge, and busied himself with kissing Gaara. He ran his fingers through the soft red hair, keeping a hand on the small of Gaara's back so that he wouldn't move; Lee loved the feeling of their bodies pressed together like this.

The crimson haired male could feel Lee's need growing rapidly, but Lee made no movement to satisfy himself. Gaara realized that was another reason he was so attracted to Lee, the knight was so selfless it was ridiculous. Gaara moved his mouth down to Lee's collarbone, where he nipped the skin gingerly. Lee moaned his name unintelligibly, which only drove Gaara to explore the lower regions of the knight. Wherever Gaara touched him was a sensitive spot, like Lee's entire body was utterly responsive to his touch. Lee tried to stifle his louder groans of pleasure, knowing for some odd reason he couldn't be too loud. He could not remember why, they had both forgotten where they were. Again, they were in a state of mind that allowed no sensible thoughts to occur to either one of them. The only thing they could feel or think about was the need to satisfy their need for each other.

As Gaara's fingers played on the edge of Lee's pants the knight made a sound of protest. "Ng, Gaara…" His breath hitched as the pale male tugged his pants down lower, almost exposing Lee's growing erection. Gaara kneeled onto the floor next to the bed, in a position that might, in another setting, suggest prayer. But this was much more holy a moment to him than any moment of prayer could be.

"Gaara," Lee started again, and the green eyed boy noted how often Lee said his name. "You don't have too do… this if you don't…" The knight couldn't finish; the man he loved so much he'd die for him was currently removing his pants completely.

"I want to." Gaara stated, knowing that he really did. He wanted to satisfy the knight, and to know that he had brought ecstasy to the knight that no one else possibly could. When the member was exposed to the open air it twitched in anticipation, and Gaara let the pants fall around the other male's ankles. He realized this was the first good look he had ever gotten of the knight like this. Last time only his hand had been this close the knight's erection, and he hadn't taken such a view on Lee's exquisite body. He kept his eyes on the face of the man he believed he loved as he tested the tip of Lee's hardened member with his fingers. It was a priceless sight, the face he knew so intimately twisted into a look of absolute euphoria. Gaara then moved his hands to Lee's hips and steadied himself. He remembered how Lee had pleasured him, how great it felt. He wanted Lee to feel that, so he brought his lips to the tip of the erection. This had Lee already gasping and twitching under his touch.

Unlike Lee, Gaara didn't have instincts to aid him here; he assumed he was born without them. Though, he was not deaf, and could hear whether or not Lee was enjoying his 'experiment.' And by what he heard as he licked the under side of the shaft, Gaara knew Lee was enjoying the attention almost too much. Lee moaned his name again and let his hands clutch at the sheets until his knuckles started to turn white. Gaara closed his eyes as he let his mouth close over the top of the member. Lee tried not to, but his body wouldn't listen, and he thrust into the moist cavern of Gaara's mouth. The sudden entry caused a slight gag reflex in Gaara, but he kept himself steady. He hadn't expected it, but he went on, not giving up. He let his mouth slide back towards the end of the erection as he licked at it hesitantly with his rough tongue. He tasted something sticky coming slowly from the member, and knew that Lee was already almost to the point of spilling over in his mouth. He kept his eyes closed in concentration as he awaited Lee's climax, which was rapidly approaching. Lee tried to warn him, but Gaara knew it was coming before he did. Lee once again couldn't stop it, and forced himself deeper in Gaara's mouth. This time Gaara was ready, but he wasn't ready for all the liquid that Lee spilled into his mouth. He had to pull back before it was all let into his mouth and it got onto the sheets and Lee's own stomach. He swallowed hard, Lee's seed not tasting sweet, but a tangy sour. It might have been a bit too bitter for most, but Gaara enjoyed the taste, it was better than he remembered, from when he had cleaned it off of himself last time.

Gaara opened his eyes as he licked his lips to see Lee with his eyes closed, his face more crimson than Gaara's own hair. He panted slow and hard, but he looked even more radiant and complete than when he was done with his own brutal training. Gaara saw the mess on Lee's stomach, and decided he was a bit hungrier than he had thought he was. He quickly brought his lips to the knight's stomach and quickly started licking at the sticky solution. If Lee's device weren't absolutely exhausted he would have gotten hard again at the intimate touches of Gaara's tongue on his lower abdomen. Just as he finished with his clean up job Gaara was pulled up lightly by the knight, who hugged him once again.

"Gaara," there was his name again, and with every utterance of that name from Lee, Gaara felt more and more like his old self again. "I love you," he rubbed his face into the beautiful boy's hair, "So much." Lee pulled Gaara even closer, and felt the unattended half erect member through Gaara's thin shorts. His hand started to move towards Gaara's shorts, but the emerald-eyed teen stopped him. Gaara wasn't ready to be touched there by someone else, he knew Lee would be gentle, but he was also afraid that memories of that horrid night would come to mind. He didn't want that, not while he was here with Lee. Gaara back a bit away from Lee, and moved his own hand down to his groin. Lee bit his lip and tried not to do anything to Gaara that Gaara wasn't ready for.

The crimson haired teen had never touched himself like that before, and wasn't sure if what he was doing was right. Lee looked at the torment on Gaara's face of pleasure and uncertainty that was too absolutely luscious not to drink in. He started a small pumping motion, but his fingers slipped and he twitched. Before Lee could stop himself he was helping Gaara, entwining their fingers over the now completely hardened member. He aided Gaara in pleasuring himself, guiding their fingers over the erection in the most sensual ways. It was now Gaara's turn to moan incoherently as his own small hand and Lee's larger calloused hand moved tentatively over his erection. The younger teen panted, while Lee vigilantly brought his lips to Gaara's, letting their mouths breath together. It felt much hotter than it actually was, outside the night air was crisp and cool, but inside this room the air felt humid and they sweated as if they were working vigorously in the relentless desert sun.

The sticky liquid started to seep out and, not wanting to get any on Gaara's only pair of under shorts that he'd brought with him, Lee pulled the shorts down with his free hand that had before been tangled in Gaara's fiery red hair. Lee then moved his hand to the small of Gaara's back as the pale skinned boy felt himself about to release. A high-pitched moan of approval echoed through the room as he split his seed onto their entangled fingers. It fell mostly onto their fingers but some of it fell to the white sheets of the bed. Their heads separated a little as Lee brought their intertwined fingers up to his lips, first licking lightly at their sodden hands. He then slurped at it harshly, loving how it tasted, and how Gaara's fingers felt in his mouth. Gaara, not knowing what else to do, assisted Lee, licking a sucking at Lee's fingers that were matted with his own. When Lee looked at Gaara the sight was almost too much again, and he felt himself catching fire again.

"Neh, Gaara?" Lee said, keeping his lips on their hands, but had his eyes on Gaara's face. Gaara looked up at him with vague recognition, Lee decided this meant he should continue, but the seductive look Gaara gave him through half lidded eyes caught his tongue for a moment. "Stop being so sexy, you're turning me on again." Lee said lightheartedly, gasping when this statement made Gaara suck on his fingers harder.

"Good." Was all Gaara said in reply, and Lee went to those lips immediately, stopping them from doing any more of that. Instead they did more of this, which included them dropping their now relatively clean hands and tasting each other through their lips once more. Without really comprehending their motions they moved onto the bed vertically so that the could fit, and pulled the light blanket over themselves, all while keeping their faces within an inch of one another's. They were both tired, but in a pleasant kind of way, and they didn't want to ever again move from each other's warmth.

"Gaara?" Lee whispered, and Gaara realized he'd lost count of how many times Lee had said his name during this whole experience.

"Lee?" Gaara replied, giving the knight a mocking smile as they looked at each other.

"Did you really mean that? What you said early, about staying with me forever?" Lee asked sheepishly, holding Gaara close as they looked into one another's eyes.

"Of course, would I lie to you?" Gaara said, his face in the same position, as it always was, his look sincere. Lee shook his head in immediate response and drew Gaara close again, his arms wrapping themselves around the smaller boy's slim waist.

"No, no. Of course not." Lee muttered happily into Gaara's hair. Gaara made a move to wrap his own arms around Lee's neck, succeeding in getting closer to the knight. Lee sighed blissfully as he lazily rubbed his face into Gaara's beautifully crimson hair. He once again hoped this was reality, because that was something he'd never be able to forget, even if it was but a dream.

Gaara, finally where he knew he truly belonged, finally got some sleep. A dreamless, peaceful sleep. Who needed dreams when he was living in what could have been a dream come true? The one thing that bugged Gaara's subconscious was the evil presence that could come to ruin this at any moment. But that thought was pushed into his subconscious, not even to appear to him in his slumber.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX**

So! My computer said, 'Hey, I'll let you post stuff on fanifiction now,' So I was like WHEEE! So here's a new chapter, and even having this much time, I have yet to finish up the next chapter, but it's almost done, I promise! Dx Peace out.


	18. As Fast As Humanly Possible

Chapter 18: As Fast As Humanly Possible

It was an average day in a small town at the edge of Sabaku, here they woke up bright and early almost all at once, as the working population they were. Their day started with the sun, didn't end until after the sun was deep behind the horizon, and was usually full of the meticulous work that occupied their lives. The Sunrise was beautiful, arrays of reds, golds, deep purples, and an assortment of blues colored the sky. It went almost unnoticed by everyone here, but only because this is how most of the mornings of their life began.

Gaara awoke with the sunrise, amazed that he was actually awakening instead of just getting up. It was such a invigorating feeling that he wanted to fall back to sleep in that warm spot, only to wake up again later and have that same feeling grace him once more. But he didn't fall back to sleep, because he knew that he would have to break the peaceful calm of his usually torrent mind sooner than later. His mind slowly comprehended his surroundings, and he opened his eyes, only to be greeted by the bare flesh of a certain man's clavicle. He could see the chest slowly rise and fall, the body lank with deep slumber. But even though the body seemed limp enough, the arms stayed securely around Gaara's waist. Gaara tested their awareness by slightly shifting his weight to move away from them. But with his movement the muscles tightened without even disturbing the sleeping man, the movement completely subconscious. Gaara smiled at this, it really was amazing. What was even more so was the fact that this could actually be happening. Lee… He now knew why Lee had wondered if it was a dream or not, that day so long ago. Reality didn't seem to be a key concept with this relationship. In a less literate sense, you could say their relationship was 'out of this world.'

After contemplating his immediate surroundings his mind finally wandered to where they actually were. He recalled the information swiftly; he felt an inclination to curse aloud. It wasn't too long past sunrise, if he got up and dressed now he could make it out there… What was he thinking? Why would he have to work now? Though, he had promised an explanation, and he decided one was in order. He'd also like to explain things to Ken and Mari one day, but that'd have to wait. They would go back towards the capital soon enough, and they could take the same route back. The capital, the thought made him remember his dispute with himself about going back to that place. Shukaku…

His body rapidly became rigid with a shiver of realization. An idea that had never occurred to him before, but seemed very much plausible, struck him almost literally like lightning, it had the same effect. What if Shukaku wasn't following him, as he had assumed? No, that thought was entirely irrational now. Shukaku was heading for the capital, and was probably already there. He had stolen Lee's horse and money… He had probably sold the horse, he moved quicker without it, as Gaara knew. He would get himself a costume, elaborately made before he reached the castle. The demon, Gaara suspected, was planning on announcing himself returned, claiming to be the royal heir of Sabaku. Shukaku was even more so a clone of him than an identical twin could ever be, if he was planning this, he'd execute it perfectly. And since 'Princess Gaara' had finally come of age, after the celebration of her return, she would be given the throne. This could happen as soon as today, Gaara expected, but maybe they had some time left. Gaara couldn't estimate how far along the fiend's plans were, and hoped that they still had time.

Gaara now moved his arms from being wrapped around Lee's neck to having his hands on the knight's shoulders, shaking him violently and relentlessly. "Lee! Wake up!" Gaara whispered loudly, it still being early morning. He was fully awake, but the knight was very much asleep. Lee tightened his grip around Gaara's waist and brought the crimson haired male closer, muttering something along the lines of 'I don wanna.' But only a moment after this Lee's obedient mind registered the command and urgency in Gaara's voice, and he opened his eyes groggily.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" Lee said, trying his hardest not to fall back into slumber. But as soon as he looked onto Gaara's worried features he was most definitely awake.

"Lee, listen, I think Shukaku's going to try and take over the kingdom." Gaara said, his look sincere and his eyes filled with concentrated worry. Lee's mind, being in the bleary state it was in, took a moment to remember who Shukaku was. His thoughts finally clicked, but he couldn't say for sure.

"The man who looks like you?" Lee asked, steadily becoming more and more aware of reality. It takes a minute, when you've had such a peaceful slumber.

"Yes." Gaara answered, looking for the recognition of this potential danger in his eyes. When he finally spotted Lee's consciousness of the hazardous situation the knight was finally fully awake.

"How soon do you…?" Lee didn't even finish, the shock flooded his mind. He thought the confrontation was over, now that he'd found Gaara, but it was just beginning.

"Soon enough, we can't be sure. We need to leave for the capital now." Gaara said, as he began to sit up. Lee thought this was the perfect mood killer, but he'd have to hurry up. A lot more than a mood would be killed if they didn't get to the capital as soon as possible.

They dressed in a mannerly fashion, Gaara being dressed before Lee. Lee also had to take an extra minute to reapply the medicine to his calves. They left the room quickly with no hesitation, but later in the day they hotel staff Gaara had come to know would have to wash those soiled sheets. Though, everyone who had stayed at the inn could've guessed what happened the night before in that room.

When they entered the tavern section of the inn it was all but empty. Save for the staff, which meant he couldn't escape from giving at least a few answers before leaving. Especially to Dekka, who approached them immediately after they entered the area.

"Hey Li!" Dekka said merrily, coming at them with a mischievous grin.

"Yes?" Lee and Gaara both answered, Lee's answer a lot more confused than Gaara's, of course. Dekka cocked his head at them and Gaara sighed.

"I guess I'll give you that explanation now." Gaara said, but he looked at the others too as he said this. "To start, I'm not Li. This is Lee." Gaara announced, motioning to the befuddled knight standing next to him. Lee, at this, finally got that Gaara had been using his name as an alias. Lee was confused by this, but felt a weird bit of honor.

"Then who are you?" Dekka asked, a small amount of hurt in his look. Everyone else was silent with bewilderment.

"I'm Gaara no Sabaku." Gaara stated slowly, finding that he trusted these people more than he thought he would have. And what did it matter now anyway? He was going to have to come out with it sooner or later, now that the kingdom was in danger of being destroyed by what could have been called his 'evil twin.'

"As in the royal heir?" Hube asked in astonishment. Oh the trouble he'd be in if people found out he had forced the heir to work under him. Gaara nodded solemnly, not knowing how to continue. That seemed to be an opening and closing statement all by itself.

"But I thought the heir was always female?" Yuko asked quietly, and Gaara almost slipped up, but his mind rapidly thought of an explanation.

"I am, I've been dressing as a male to blend in. I was in danger, and I needed to hide away for awhile." Gaara answered, and they seemed to take this as a reasonable response. He mentally breathed a sigh of relief; he had kept it secret yet again. Though, he knew that one-day, probably sooner than later, he'd have to come out with it. Especially at this rate, the couple, Mari and Ken, already knew his gender, and so did Shukaku. A question snapped him back into the present.

"Why are you here, then?" Seta asked shyly, perplexity the only common emotion in the room.

"That's a bit tougher to explain. It's also the reason I have to leave as soon as possible." Gaara paused, not sure if he should continue and tell them more. He went against himself a confessed, "The kingdom's in danger."

A gasp went through the others present, and also a few disbelieving grimaces. Hube asked, "How do you know?" and Dekka asked in almost the same moment "Danger? As in what?" Gaara sighed, wondering why he had to answer these questions, wondering if they could leave and why they were still here.

"There isn't time to explain now." Lee interjected, being completely level headed by now. They all looked over to him, in surprise, since he hadn't said anything before this. It made him seem formidable, his height might have also added to that. Lee's mind also knew why they were here, and why they hadn't left yet.

"If you wouldn't mind, we need to leave now. But before we go, we need to know the fastest route to the castle." Lee added, giving Hube a stern look, a smile on his lips. He might have been trying to be polite, but he just seemed a bit more frightening. Gaara was rubbing off on him, at least, his demeanor was.

"Head north, take the main road until you get to the third town you encounter. From there take the south road, you'll run into less traffic towards the capital that way." Dekka surprisingly responded. Hube gave him a strange look, but then nodded in confirmation. Dekka then added, "Hey Li, I mean Gaara, good luck." Gaara nodded, and Lee gave them a quick 'thank you' before they quickly made their way out the door.

"We can't just walk there." Gaara stated as they were making their way towards the main road, leaving everything behind and blinding heading towards a perilous force of evil. They headed back to the home they knew; yet now it was surely stained by an imposing foe's dark miasma. Gaara looked towards Lee for a response, and the knight smiled.

"You're never seen me run, have you?" Lee said, still smiling. He'd get them to the castle as fast as humanly possible, possibly faster. He had a lover, and even more so, a kingdom to fight for.

"I've gotten glimpses a few times." Gaara replied, knowing that he'd always been to busy to watch Lee exercise the few hours he got every so often to train. Lee's grin stayed strong, and he quickly swept Gaara into his arms, catching the red head by surprise.

"Well, now you'll get to know my speed personally." Lee said, the phrase almost sexual, at least, to Gaara. He didn't get much time to think, though, because his thoughts didn't have time to catch up with him. Lee took off, heading out of the town and towards the capital. It was faster than a horse, most definitely, but how long could he keep it up? He was even carrying Gaara, which must have added to the strain.

"Fast?" Lee asked merrily as the sped down the road, dirt sweeping up behind them, Lee's voice almost lost to the whirl of the wind passing by.

"Yes," Gaara started, shielding his eyes from the incoming dirt and sand, "but how long can you keep this up for?" Gaara really was concerned, he remembered how Lee had told him about his muscles tearing, and Gaara really didn't want to Lee to wound himself anymore. Though, Gaara was glad he didn't have to move much, his own wounds would have been terrible to deal with.

Lee pondered Gaara's question as he continued to move at his intoxicatingly fast pace. His legs were fine, as long as the stopped at sunset to reapply the wonderful medicine Sakura-san had made for him. This was the pace he used to run laps around the capital back when he trained everyday. It wasn't his fastest, but it was good for long distance running. And he had the man he love lying in his arms, an endless source of energy and of Youth! Lee could run on youth forever, and decided this was a sufficient answer.

"I could run like this forever." Lee replied, smiling, looking down at Gaara for a moment before pulling his head back up to focus on running. Gaara sighed and shook his head a bit at this, but Lee knew he was correct in his assumption.

"You forget, Gaara, I trained everyday, of every week, of all the years we were apart. That's how I accomplished so much, hard work and dedication." Lee added, "And that's how I plan to work out all of this. I dedicate myself to working hard for you." Lee was still beaming, and Gaara caught it worse than a cold. He'd almost forgotten how cliché and over the top Lee was about his feelings. Maybe that's why, even though they headed towards their imminent doom, Gaara felt the best he'd felt in a long while. He wrapped his arms around the jubilant knight's neck, taking some of the weight off of Lee's arms, and of course, bringing them closer together. Lee knew that this only gave him more energy, and he knew he would be able to travel this fast carrying Gaara forever. And forever it would seem like, since Lee got it into his head that they could not rest or even eat on their way back.

They enjoyed a comfortable silence, Lee not even breaking a sweat yet. The first town approached them rapidly, but they didn't even stop in it, and continued right through. Lee's pace was so quick that the people of that town merely saw a trail of dust and assumed it was a wild horse, wondering where it had come from. After this, though, Lee did begin to sweat, a sweat that was cold from the air that hit it as soon as it came out of his pores. Gaara wondered if Lee was going to be all right, and was very concerned about the knight's legs.

"Lee, you should rest at the next town." Gaara said, and had he not said the words right next to Lee's ear they would have been lost to the wind.

Lee shook his head. "I won't need to rest until sunset, to reset the bandages. Until then we need to focus on traveling towards the capital." Lee would never admit that Gaara's weight was taking its toll on his arms and legs. He'd endured so much more pain than this, he couldn't stop now.

It was a few hours until sunset, the time passing slowly and painfully, when they hit the second town. Despite what Gaara had said about Lee needing a rest he continued straight through this town as he had the last, dodging though carts and people without slowing. Gaara sighed as the exited the town, their disturbance having turned quite a few heads. The people here wondered if it was a dust devil, but they usually only got those in the fall, and they weren't so precise. They didn't get long to look and wonder, since it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Lee, are you sure you're all right?" Gaara asked, but Lee just smiled, even though Gaara couldn't see the grin. Lee was remembering back when he'd train outside the capital and he received the same bemused stares they'd just gotten at the last town. He'd train early in the morning to disturb as little as possible, but soon enough the early risers all knew who Lee was and what the rise of dust was outside that capital. Amazement was a common emotion people showed after they'd found out that it was indeed a person traveling that fast. Usually Temari would explain it to newcomers, and would always add, "But that's not even his top speed! That's his long distance running." He remembered that back then he would work himself to the point where he couldn't think too much about anything else. He wrapped himself up in working as a squire, until his own coming of age where he had been declared a knight. Back then there was something missing, but Lee chose to ignore his feelings most of the time. There was one time, though…

Lee was put on watch with a fellow soon-to-be-knight, it was a late watch position, and it wasn't the first time he'd agreed to take the late night position. He was always eager for work, and so they gave him full schedules, which he thanked them for. But it was the first time in a while that he was placed with this particular male. He was always catching weird emotions rolling off of this guy, and his white eyes had always made him uncomfortable. He thought they might have been friends, since they had many polite conversations and they were both apprentices to the righteous knight, Gai. But he wasn't sure; he'd never been good at making friends.

_That night, though, the man with the long ebony hair approached him as a friend, and Lee thought they'd finally consolidate their friendship. That was, until their conversation hit a very weird turning point._

"_So, Lee, have you ever been kissed before?" The male, Neji, suddenly asked. Lee turned to him, already turning crimson. What was his comrade thinking? They were still squires; they weren't really allowed to see women like that! And even if he was allowed, Lee knew he was too busy to have done anything of the sort. Besides, he'd never really met a girl that caught his interest. _

"_N-no, of course not!" Lee finally replied, which only made Neji narrow his already spooky eyes. _

"_Really? The most talked about squire in the capital and you've never even kissed someone? We're not kids any more, Lee." Neji said, a weird indescribable smile on his pale lips. In fact, the man was such a pale fellow that he seemed almost to glow in the dark, moon lit watchtower. _

"_Yes, but neither are we adults! Squires are not to associate with women during their apprenticeship, you know that Neji." Lee replied, not comfortable with where this conversation was going, or with the look the Neji was giving him._

"_So like you Lee, to be so narrow-minded and fixated on the rules." Neji replied, and Lee could've sworn that he moved a bit closer._

"_What do you mean?" Lee asked, now he was sure of Neji approach. _

"_I mean that guys don't just have to kiss girls." The white-eyed boy replied, and Lee felt that his 'friend' might be trying to seduce him! But he didn't want to jump to any conclusions, so he just sat there, a perplexed look upon his face. _

"_Guys can kiss guys, too." Neji added, before swiftly moving closer to him. His reactions were slowed by confusion, so before he could move away-_

"You haven't answered me, I believe I've waited long enough for an answer." Gaara stated, waking Lee from his memories. Lee breathed a sigh of relief; he really didn't want to relive that night right now, or ever again. He once again focused on the present, on Gaara and on running.

"I'm sorry, what was the question again?" Lee said, smiling. He was glad he had finally found the one thing he had been missing before. And also glad he had managed to avoid Neji ever since he'd found his certain someone.

"I asked if you were all right." His 'certain someone' replied, and Lee's heart skipped a beat. Which wasn't the best thing since he was running at the time, but it was okay. He squeezed Gaara a bit to him self for a moment, in a state of euphoria.

"I love you so much, Gaara." Lee stated, which seemed very random to the male in the knight's arms.

"That doesn't answer the question, but I'll assume that means you're fine." Gaara said, placidly resting his head onto the space between Lee's neck and shoulder. He was still content with resting in the knight's arms, and it would have been a lot harder for him to travel any other way, it gave his wounds ample time to heal. But it was utterly boring, he liked being with the knight, that wasn't boring, but the helplessness he felt having to be carried… He wondered at Lee's last statement. Why would Lee love him? What had he ever given Lee? He thought about it, thought long and hard about it, coming to the conclusion that he had never once said the words 'I love you.' Not even to Lee, and for a moment he thought himself an imbecile for never having told Lee of his love openly. He'd said many statements that declared his love for the knight in a round about way, but he'd never proclaimed it directly. Yet again it came to the question of why Lee loved him. He didn't give Lee anything, he didn't save Lee's life, he didn't do much for the man at all. So why was it that another human being, especially one such as Lee, would love him? The insecurities from so long ago came to haunt him, he didn't want that. Lee gave him so much, Gaara wanted, no needed to give something back. It had gone unsaid for long enough, there was a time and place for words such as these, but when had Gaara ever cared about appropriate times and places for certain things?

"I love you, Lee." Gaara said quietly, unsurely, insecurely. This comment was the one; it was the one thing Gaara could have uttered to get the knight to stop running immediately. Gaara would have been flung forward, had Lee not had such a tight hold on him. The comment would have been lost to the landscape had it not been said next to Lee's ear, and had he not heard such an important statement; Lee might have become depressed later on. But he had heard it, and now they stopped, halfway between towns two and three, with at least an hour until sunset.

"Gaara…" was all Lee could say in response, his mind had stopped along with his body. The knight had thought about the moment Gaara would say this statement to him for a while now. It had never once occurred to him, in all the different played out scenarios of his imagination, that it would be like this. Gaara made a move to be put down, and was set on the ground by the knight with a blank stare. Gaara looked Lee over as he stood there, his hair a mess from running along with neglect, his shirt still torn, his body dirty with dust, and he knew the knight's legs to be abused even though they were hidden by his long pants. Lee was sweating, and Gaara noted the small cloak he still wore. This could've caused him to overheat, didn't he know that? Gaara moved back towards him as Lee just watched him, wanting to throw the red head down right there and make the moment as passionate as he had dreamed it to be.

As Gaara unclasped the cloak and took it off Lee's tired form he was suddenly forced into a tight embrace. The arms around him were strong, and the body that pressed itself against him was covered in a light sheen of moisture. The voice that reached his ears was almost boyish in it's innocence, though.

"I'm so happy…" Lee said, smiling into the crimson hair. He knew how deliberately Gaara had said that. That was one good thing about Gaara's tendency to only say what he believed the truth was, Lee knew that Gaara's remark had been sincere. It wasn't like Lee needed to hear the comment to know it to be true, but it was just something so precious to him, to be able to hear the one person he loved more than anything say that to him.

Before Lee could stop himself from acting upon his impulse his lips were on Gaara's, letting them rest lightly there. He pulled away after a small peck, though, smiling. Gaara was irresistibly cute to him. Though, he knew he shouldn't think of the red head as 'cute,' he couldn't help but use that word in his mind. Lee looked very tired, but he didn't feel that way at all, especially not with Gaara giving him such a bemused look. After a moment, the pale skinned boy had finally thought of something more to say.

"You're stopping to rest for the night in the next town, so let's get there before sunset." Gaara stated slowly, giving Lee a look that left no room for argument. Lee didn't feel like arguing anyway, he'd comply with Gaara's demands. Besides, they'd need to be good and ready to fight that Shukaku man the following day. Lee nodded, and swept Gaara up into his arms as if the smaller boy weighed nothing. Gaara wrapped his arms around Lee again, not knowing what else to do. They left the forgotten cloak on the road, but at least Lee felt a little lighter when running now, sweating a bit less.

Gaara decided that love was too great a concept to make a final decision on. Not that he did not love Lee, but he still wasn't sure why. Why he felt that he loved Lee, or why Lee loved him. But before he could decipher that code he had to know what love was, exactly. And though he'd tried many times to fruitlessly figure out the feeling, that thing called love, he still couldn't even state a relative hypothesis on the subject. Recently, he'd been rethinking the whole concept. The only thing he knew for sure was that whatever this 'love' was, it was something he felt for Lee. Lee was his only reference on this 'love' concept, and Lee made it bearable, enjoyable. He thought himself lucky, for the first time in a long time. Despite all that had happened, everything thrown against him, he felt he was privileged. He had Lee, and even if they died tomorrow, even if the kingdom was taken over, he would have known happiness. Which is not an emotion he thought he'd ever capture, but he had, in the form of a knight named Lee.

They made it to the town just as the sun was setting, Lee smiling in the glow of his achievement. He was also more tired than he'd thought he would have been, his legs feeling the burn. Lee set Gaara down and they walked into town unnoticed, slipping into the nearest inn with no problem. Lee went to ask about a room, which he got one and a meal for the both of them with the last of his money. He wouldn't be needing coins after tonight, right? They'd have a life or death battle soon enough, money isn't usually necessary for one of those.

Gaara kept close to Lee, careful not to catch anyone's eye. They were closer to home now; someone might recognize the crimson hair, which wasn't common to say the least. But the chances of him being recognized were little to none, though; it didn't stop him from being paranoid about it. They ate a hearty dinner, Gaara giving Lee most of his food. Lee wouldn't accept it at first, but when he saw that Gaara really wasn't interested in eating it and his stomach demanded more calories he took to the food with vigor. After they finished they made their way towards their rented room, which surprisingly had two beds. Lee hadn't realized that was why it had taken what was left of his funds. The host must have assumed they wished to sleep in separate beds, which was all right. He didn't mind paying for two beds if it meant avoiding that stare a man gives you when you tell him you and your traveling partner will be needing only one bed.

Gaara, on the other hand, questioned it. "So, you don't feel like sleeping with me?" Gaara asked, eyeing the second bed like it was some sort of vile, poisonous snake. The question was worded so oddly that it took Lee a moment to reply, shutting the door behind them.

"O-of course not. I mean, of course I want to sleep with you! I mean… The host assumed we wanted two beds, I didn't ask for it." Lee stuttered out and Gaara's glared softened in response. Lee's reply to this was to pull the red head to himself. When Gaara, in Lee's arms, looked up at him their lips met passionately, Lee's mouth more restless than Gaara's. But suddenly Gaara pulled away, attracting Lee's full attention.

"You need to sleep, you're tired. And change your medicine." Gaara insisted, breaking away from Lee completely and sitting upon the nearest bed. Lee followed, sitting next to Gaara quietly, reapplying the medicine to his legs. It was a little more than half way gone already, he hoped that'd be enough to last him until he had time to actually rest and let his legs heal. After he had the bandages carefully wrapped again and his boots neatly placed by the foot of the bed he turned to Gaara, who was sitting, observing quietly. Lee suddenly tackled him playfully into the surprisingly soft mattress of the bed.

"Love you, Gaara." Lee muttered, his proclamation muffled by his own muttering and the mattress against his face. He held Gaara tightly, wishing that Gaara hadn't already ordered him to sleep. Sleep was definitely not the first thing he had in mind when he had Gaara in a bed with him.

"Thank you." Gaara replied quietly after a moment, but still in reference to Lee's statement.

"There's nothing to thank me for." Lee said merrily to Gaara, still holding him, seeing how long he could get away with not sleeping.

"But there is, you do so much for me…" Gaara started, but Lee cut him off with a serious stare as he pulled himself away from Gaara so they could look into each other's eyes.

"No, don't thank me for loving you. I receive the greatest possible gift I could ever get for all of my efforts." Lee replied solemnly, and when Gaara gave him a look of not understanding Lee couldn't help but smile. "Your love." Lee clued Gaara in, but the younger teen still didn't comprehend the knight's reasoning. It didn't make sense to do so much for someone just to receive an emotion in return, but he knew the ebony haired male was just a romantic. Gaara vowed to learn the romantics' language one day, so he could value what Lee was speaking of.

In return for Lee's impractical but still tender remarks Gaara gave him something he knew the knight liked, a kiss. Though he pulled away after a short moment, frustrating the elder teen. But Lee was pacified by the smile on Gaara's lips, which was utterly priceless.

"Go to sleep." Gaara commanded, Lee sighing but complying anyway, closing his eyes and grinning. Gaara, not knowing what else to do, pulled himself upward, placing a peck on Lee's forehead. This caused Lee to pull the crimson haired man back into his embrace, keeping his eyes closed and his lips smiling. Lee soon fell asleep, having been completely exhausted.

Gaara could not sleep, though, and let his lids close over his racing consciousness. All Gaara could think of was the tactics he would use the next day, the techniques he'd be forced to use against Shukaku. He also thought of how he and Lee might be able to defeat this ominous force. But it all ended up coming back to the one undeniable fact, 'If Lee could defeat Gaara, he could defeat Shukaku.' So the scarlet-topped male spent his night thinking of all of his own faults, and things he knew he was defenseless against. Which is usually a cause for major depression, but Gaara couldn't fall into any sort of depression, for whenever he tried to, the strong arms around him made themselves known. The one thing Gaara was thankful for, more than his own life, was Lee's existence. And, even as he thought of all his undermined qualities, he believed he might be one more step closer to knowing what love might be exactly.

With this thought Gaara knew what his greatest liability was, though it was also his only saving grace. Lee would prove to be his rise, and his fall.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX**

Gah! A new chapter! That's all I can say, really. I need some sleep myself. xD


	19. A Summary of Epic Proportions

Chapter 19: A Summary of Epic Proportions

Temari had sent a search party out less than an hour after Lee's departure, only keeping a few knights for the castle. Kankuro himself had left, his newly betrothed insisting on going with him. If nothing more, at least they'd have the chance to bond before their marriage. But, of course, everything would be a horrendous mess if Gaara were not found as soon as possible. Most of the nobles had already left; it was well past midnight, now. A few stayed, though, the ones with the most ties to the royal family. 'In support,' of course, but all they were really doing was making Temari's headache that much worse.

"Another glass, your highness." A servant said as the nameless figure handed her a glass of hard liquor. It took a lot to give her any sort of buzz, and she was only drinking because she couldn't stand the 'family friends' for much longer.

"How many knights did you send out, Temari-sama?" A random noble asked, getting a glare from the blonde's half lidded eyes. This was at least the fifth time she'd been asked that.

"Twenty, four to a group with one squire accompanying every group. Five squires in total." She added the last part, because she knew an idiot would ask how many squires there had been if she hadn't stated it.

"So how many does that leave us with here?" Another noble asked, aggravating her even more. They'd asked this question already.

"Five of our better knights with three squires a piece; one knight and three squires for the four tower posts and the front gate." She was going to leave after she finished this glass, and it was already more than half way gone.

"Are you sure that's enough? What if an enemy decides to attack while we're experiencing these difficulties?" One of the nobles from before asked, she felt the urge to violently beat at least one of them, but she didn't.

"Vlad and his men are still with us, they're helping protect the castle, also." Temari was one swig away from leaving when they got one last question in.

"But don't you think they're a bit… frightening?" A meeker noble asked, Temari kept herself from scoffing.

"No, they're nice people." Temari said, smiling. She downed the last of her alcohol and got up, still steady even after the sixth glass. "I'm retiring now. If you wish to stay overnight ask one of the servants to show you to a guest room. Good night."

Temari went to bed that night, and most of the nobles went home, only a few staying in the abundant guest rooms. The next day seemed to last forever, no words from anywhere, no news, only anticipation. Temari was frustrated, to say the absolute least. At one point in the day she went into Gaara's room, even though she knew there were no clues there. She pulled back the curtains and looked out the window that overlooked most of the capital and beyond. She leaned on the glass, against the orange sky of the sunset.

"You're coming home, right?" Temari questioned the horizon, turning away and shaking her head, now leaning against the wall. "Of course you are." She replied to herself foolishly. She stayed in there for a few more moments, not wanting to face the remainder of the day.

The next day there was one messenger, but he basically said there was no progress in the search. He came from a town towards the left edge of the country, Temari was growing anxious. What if they couldn't find him? They wouldn't just lose the heir; she'd loose her brother. Though they had never been as close as they should've been, she couldn't stand the thought of him not returning.

Kankuro was having the same thoughts pass through his own head, searching frantically, his group making the most progress due to little relaxation and much diligence. Of course, he was also having other thoughts go through his mind. Kiba, his fiancé, was traveling with him; it was a chance to learn all he could about this guy. Being thrown into this engagement was sudden, to say the least. He'd always thought he'd have a stay at home wife that he'd only see when he was back at the capital, which wasn't too often. This situation, though, changed that a bit. Kankuro was a man of his word, and also a man who loved his country. He'd also always seen himself as a caring brother, which is, in the end, why he'd agreed to this betrothal. He hadn't planned to spend much time with his future spouse anyway, not like he had taken a liking to anyone already. Also, with a marriage like this there wasn't much expected of them. Political marriages were usually made for offspring, but since they were both males, nothing was really anticipated of them after the wedding. Which suited Kankuro perfectly, he'd never liked children anyway.

Yet, who didn't want to know about their future spouse? Just by looking at him Kankuro knew he wasn't spoiled like most princes were. The scars under his eyes mysterious proof of this. Then there was his demeanor around strangers, which was gruffly polite. He was quite for the most part, but seemed like he was forcing it, like he was quiet only out of courtesy. Kiba followed instructions, which he knew was a quality he looked for in his knights. But was it something he should be looking for in a life partner? Why not? If they were to spend that much time together it would be better for the both of them if they could understand each other. Kiba understood instructions well enough, that was always a good start.

Most of these thoughts occurred to Kankuro when he didn't need any extra thoughts cluttering his mind. But he really did want to get to know the man he was to be wed to. At the very least they should be good friends, Kankuro hated political marriages where all the spouses did was fight. He'd seen many couples out of this sort of wedlock, and vowed never to let their relationship digress to the point of hatred.

They also shared a room when they stayed at an inn, but most of the time the knights all slept on canvas rugs on the side of the road. Though they were always fast to fall asleep Kankuro found himself awake after Kiba, hearing his light snoring as he slept. It was what actually got Kankuro to bed those restless nights, when all he could think about was his brother's corpse strewn across the countryside.

Kankuro would never admit it, but he loved his little brother, and he knew even less about him than Temari. If his brother had left him before he'd even gotten the chance to learn anything about him, Kankuro would be crushed. He'd always wanted a younger sibling, not just to tease, but because he'd always wanted to be a big brother. He thought he made quite the big brother, and he'd prove that to Gaara, by finding him before anything horrendous and scarring could happen.

Which brings us back to Temari, who was about to horrendously scar some nobles if they didn't leave her alone. Usually she could deal with everything, no problem. But her little brother was missing, possibly dead. When she felt she could stand it no longer she left the meeting hall mid-conversation. She mumbled an apology that she didn't mean a word of on her way out the large wooden doors. She expected the worst for the rest of the day.

The one thing she didn't expect, though, was awaiting her as she turned into the main hall, having planed to go outside to get some fresh air. He stood on the opposite side of the hall, lazily resting against the wall with his eyes closed.

"Hey." He said calmly, completely self-assured. His clothes loose and lazily left only half tied, his hair in a ruff ponytail atop his head. It was none other than Shikamaru, the one person Temari knew she didn't want to kill. Her malice evaporated easily with an exhausted sigh, he merely gave her a hug, knowing that was what the sigh indicated. She was glad for the silent comfort of a pair of arms around her shoulders. After a moment he backed away again, to look at her through observing eyes.

"No good news?" He asked, concern showing on his usually unexpressive face for a moment. Temari shook her head, and then they silently moved so they both could lean against the wall, in the shadow of a turn in the hallway. Their fingers interlocked and Temari felt her frown ease up a bit, she might have even smiled.

"How troublesome. No signs of her anywhere?" Shikamaru asked, and Temari realized Gaara's kidnapping was common knowledge in the capital now. She also realized how weird she thought it was that they had yet to tell Shikamaru of Gaara's secret. He'd learn one day, when he became part of the family, she promised herself. After that long moment she merely shook her head again in reply, sighing.

"No signs of anything… not even a corpse." Temari stated slowly, every word coming out with more effort than the last. She found it was because her throat was becoming blockaded with unshed tears. Tears she would not shed, but tears that Shikamaru could easily notice through her voice.

"She's not dead." Shikamaru stated calmly, tightening his grip on her hand a bit, to reassure her. She couldn't trust his words, though, because the worry in her head practically drowned out his words with its constant screams of terror.

"But she could be." Temari uttered softly and harshly, so that it had barely been said at all. Shikamaru, not completely sure of what to do, now embraced her. She returned it, and when he felt the hot, salty liquid on his sleeve he knew he'd done the right thing to comfort her. Sometimes, even the strongest people literally need a shoulder to cry on.

"Gaara isn't dead. If she's your sister, I'm sure she's strong enough to survive, at the very least." Shikamaru said after the tears stopped coming forth. Temari thought about it. Come to think of it, why had she been worried in the first place? Gaara was already competent in fighting, and he always had the sand as a last resort. Also, Lee should be the first to catch up with the kidnapper. She should have been worried about the life of the kidnapper, not her brother. Thinking of it this way made Temari laugh at herself, a low stifled chuckle making it's way through her. It shuddered within her, and Shikamaru thought she was going to cry again.

"Are you all right?" He asked, but she finally let him hear the laugh, and he stopped being worried, but continued to be confused.

"I'm fine." She said after her self-mocking was over with. She was still in his arms, her arms around him. "Thank you." She said, lifting her now grimace free face to his, pressing their lips together lightly. They broke apart after a moment, passion not as immediate to them as comfort.

"I'm glad for your thanks, but what am I being thanked for?" He asked, giving her a smirk of his own to go along with hers.

"For reminding me it's only a matter of time until Gaara's back." She answered, now able to grin through the worry, which was not as oppressive as it had been. It had left with the tears, and now lay only as a residue on the man's shirtsleeve. She added, "And for helping me to stop my scowling." At this they held each other a bit tighter, and might have kissed another time, had the nobles not made themselves known once again. They came into the hall a great chatter, as they always were, and the couple separated before their interaction could be noticed. Already having done this escape plan before, Shikamaru knew to leave through the back of the castle as Temari went to pacify the masses. Even though it wasn't a very large mass of people, they made themselves a mass, cluttering around like a group of fraternizing hens.

"Ah, Temari-sama!" A small noble squeaked. With that they all turned towards her with one clumsy movement. She mentally sighed, and didn't even bother greeting them. They started up questions and such again, but she didn't mind as much now. She could deal with their mindlessness as long as she continued her daydreaming. It might have been a bit girly, but as long as no one knew, she could fantasize all she wanted.

Kankuro caught himself in a small vision of his own, but refused to let it linger, literally shaking it off before it could make him uncomfortable. He'd been thinking about their course, where they should head towards next, when Kiba brought his horse closer to ride alongside Kankuro.

"You all right?" Kiba asked, an endearing look of concern on his scarred face. What was it about the face that made Kankuro think that this would all work out? Not just their marriage and such, but even their situation with Gaara gone missing? Maybe it was because the owner of that face knew what the outcome of all of this would be, or believed that he knew, and saw a positive light in all of it? Kankuro understood he needed to give a response after that moment of silence.

"I'm fine, just thinking about everything too much." Kankuro replied, looking away from Kiba so he didn't have to think about how attached he was becoming to that person. It was almost like having an apprentice of sorts, only better, and they were around the same age.

"You think a lot." Kiba stated, looking out towards the expanse of land before them.

"Is that a problem?" Kankuro inquired, stopping himself from looking back at Kiba, even though he wanted to. He didn't know why he wanted to, though.

"No, I…" here Kiba paused; Kankuro could tell he was searching for the right words to express his thoughts. Kiba thought about it for the long moment, and then continued, "I guess I love you for it." He replied easily enough, believing his handle on this language had improved dramatically now that he was using it daily. Kankuro faltered, looking at Kiba for a long moment, a dumbstruck look upon his features. He didn't know if that's what Kiba meant or if he'd just used the wrong words. Kankuro still didn't know how to reply, especially if he had meant to use those words. 'Love' was one factor he hadn't considered. Friendship? Of course. Understanding? Yes. But love? That was almost unfathomable. Or was it? He was still blankly staring at Kiba when Kiba finally turned to see his reaction.

"Are you not to say 'I love you, too'?" Kiba questioned curtly. At least Kankuro now knew he had meant to use the words he had said. It was just a couple of phrases he had learned, right? Kankuro could easily see that Vlad man teaching Kiba those words, how to use them. Either neither of them really knew when to use the words, or Kiba was serious. The possibility of that being true caused Kankuro's face to turn a light shade of crimson. It was visible, even with his war paint covering most of his face. Kiba continued to stare at him, awaiting the proper answer, only making the red color deepen.

After a moment Kankuro couldn't help but give in, if it meant they could finally look away from each other. "I…" he gulped, the quickly finished, "loveyoutoo." Kankuro then let the breath out he hadn't known he was withholding and turned away. But he still heard Kiba's masculine laugh. Kankuro saw no reason for laughing, and almost became frustrated by it. But Kiba's next comment, again, took him by surprise.

"You are…" Kiba racked his brain for the right word, "cute." He then continued chuckling a bit and smiling, Kankuro knew, because he couldn't help but look back at him. It wasn't everyday someone called the head of the Sabaku military 'cute.' Kiba was gustier than he had thought, especially if he knew what he was saying. And now Kankuro knew better than to assume Kiba didn't know his way around the language. He was a fast learner, and also someone who liked to tease. Kankuro knew why his silence had seemed force before. He had probably wanted to crack a few jokes, but hadn't known how to go about it yet. Kiba finally stopped his chuckling and smiling, and Kankuro turned away once again.

"'Cute,' eh? I guess we'll see." Was all Kankuro could say. This relationship seemed to be getting interesting. And with every new piece of language Kiba learned, Kankuro knew it'd get that much more interesting. Then, Kankuro smiled. For a moment, it seemed like everything was all right, he saw it through Kiba's perspective, and everything would turn out all right. Kiba saw the smile, and knew he had succeeded in making Kankuro feel better, it was enough to make them both smile together, if only for a moment or two.

The other knights couldn't hear the conversation, but saw the laughing and the smiling. They knew how serious Kankuro got during missions, and how serious he had been for this one in particular. To see their leader, their compatriot, smile despite all of his pervious frowning, made them respect the one who had caused the phenomenon. Everyone had seen Kankuro laugh and be merry, but to have that occur during a mission was something that should've happened more often. The knights now supported the couple, wanting to see Kankuro be cheerful all the time.

Little did they know, Kankuro and his men were heading in the wrong direction. Actually, none of the search parties had stumbled across the right path yet. What one group had stumbled upon, though, was the false treasure. Right, group number four, led by a faithful knight named Kakashi, found the one thing that should've been lost forever. They were actually the slowest moving team, only being a city outside of the capital, having been held up by the teams constant bickering. Here, they found what they thought was Princess Gaara. They discovered Shukaku.

"Gaara-hime!" Kakashi called into the crowd, the other knights in his group following behind. Shukaku had bought a dress with the money he'd taken from Lee earlier, making sure to have it look at least a little like the dress Gaara had been wearing when he was captured. He tore it up a bit, also gave himself a few injuries, to make it make it look real. He tricked the fools so easily, it was almost sickening. He turned towards them, and was almost immediately surrounded by the group of knights. Kakashi's group included the overbearing Naruto, the standoffish Sasuke, and for a squire they had a bothersome kid named Konohamaru. There was also the nameless knight thrown in to make the team an even five, oh wait, that's an odd number. Anyway…

"Are you all right? Where's that evil guy who kidnapped you? Did you get away? Is he somewhere around here, watching us?" Naruto started questioning. His only mistake was not waiting for answers, until Sasuke stopped him with an elbow to the gut.

"Hey what did you do that for?" Naruto shot Sasuke a glare, which Sasuke easily returned with five times the power. Naruto almost childishly stuck his tongue out in retort, but stopped himself. They were nineteen now, not apprentices anymore! Naruto would prove he could be mature. But his tongue was tempting him, that bastard Sasuke, always getting the last laugh.

"I'm…fine." Shukaku replied to the first question, switching the focus back onto him.

"But where is your captor?" Kakashi inquired. Shukaku had a hard time suppressing his laughter, but he managed not to smile.

"I got away from him… but barely. He could be close by." 'Gaara' said, feigning worry like it was his own skin. The knights all nodded in reply, Konohamaru's nod coming a second too late.

"Don't worry we'll get you back to the castle!" Naruto exclaimed jovially.

"But where's Lee?" Sasuke asked, and Naruto nodded in agreement. He put his hand to his chin and gave a good look around, like Lee would be somewhere in the crowd.

"Yeah, he went chasing after you when you were kidnapped." Naruto added, but they didn't get a response from Shukaku. For Shukaku did not know a 'Lee'. But he assumed it was the man Gaara had been with, the tall dark haired one.

"I…I haven't seen him." He stuttered, faking fear. Naruto then put an arm around Gaara in support.

"Don't worry, he'll show up as soon as word spreads of your being found, I'm sure of it." Shukaku wasn't comfortable with the arm around his shoulders, but the Sasuke boy got the leech off of him before he could have done anything to harm the blonde haired kid.

"You shouldn't be so frank with the princess." Sasuke said when Naruto turned to him with his hands on his hips and a scowl of his face. Naruto's eyes widened after the comment in understanding.

"Oh, right." Naruto turned towards 'Gaara'. "Sorry, you looked so lonely and hurt, I just wanted to help!" Naruto apologized loudly; Sasuke winced at the sheer loudness of Naruto. The blonde turned to look at Sasuke, giving him a glare, knowing he'd falsely winced at him. A fight brewed between their glares, and Kakashi just sighed and tried to keep things moving.

"Either way, lets head back towards the castle, you go ahead and act as a messenger." Kakashi said, motioning to the nameless knight. He nodded, and was on his way back to the castle before the others even noted his absence.

"As for the rest of you…" Kakashi turned back to the others only to find Naruto and Sasuke in another argument. It was more or less about how Naruto was too irritating and how Sasuke was too stubborn. Of course, that was all of their menial arguments in a nutshell.

"Come, Gaara-hime. We should get back to the castle as soon as possible." Kakashi said to 'Gaara', and Shukaku turned his attention away from the two obviously in love boys to nod his head. "We'll get the horses and go, are you fine with sharing a horse?" Kakashi asked, leading Shukaku away from the bickering couple.

"Of course, I'd just like to get back as soon as possible." Shukaku said, thinking up ominous plans for what he was to do next. Konohamaru notified the two arguing knights of Kakashi's departure and they quickly went to catch up with them. 'Gaara' shared a horse with Kakashi and they quickly traveled back to the castle.

Meanwhile Temari received news of the finding three hours before their arrival. She was shocked and relieved all at once, actually hugging the nameless knight for telling her the good news. It was awkward after that, of course, but she shook it off. She then waited in the great hall for their arrival, pacing so much some say there's still a small trench in the floor there.

They came in as the sun was setting on the fifth day since Gaara had been kidnapped, and now, they thought, he was found. It was sooner than even hoped for; they had their princess back already! They rewarded the knights Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Nameless, also giving Konohamaru an honorable praise. But the instant 'Gaara' stepped into the castle was a momentous occasion indeed.

"Gaara! Oh you're a mess…" Temari exclaimed when she saw her little 'sister,' tattered and torn from head to toe. She embraced 'Gaara' for a long moment, and the nobles clapped in joy at the reunion.

"You probably want to rest as soon as possible." She said to the imposter, looking around for a servant, spotting them just out of sight. "Help prepare her highness' room and bath! Get the medical kit! Hurry!" Temari shouted at the servants, which bowed and did her bidding.

After looking around and checking the perimeter one last time, Temari finally asked, "Where's Lee?" Shukaku didn't even have to lie; Kakashi reported the news for him.

"Her highness didn't run into him." Kakashi reported, shaking his head. Temari sighed.

"He was too rash, now we'll just have to wait and hope he hears the news soon. Knowing him, though, he'll continue searching for awhile." Temari said gravely, and then turned back to what she really believed to be her 'sister.'

"Ah, I'll go to get some rest now." Shukaku said quietly, and Temari nodded, leading them back towards Gaara's room.

"Do you have any idea who your captor could have been? Where he might be now?" Temari asked, concerned, as they made their way towards the 'princess' room. Shukaku shook his head.

"I never really got a good look at his face. And I was too busy trying to escape to give anything else much thought." 'Gaara' replied, with an earnest tone.

"It's all right, we can talk in the morning, I'll make sure you can get your rest now." Temari said, sighing happily. The approached the grand double doors just as the last servant was leaving.

"As you ordered, Temari-sama." The servant said, bowing to the both of them before leaving.

"I'm so glad your back." Temari said merrily as she gave 'Gaara' one last hug before leaving him to rest and tend to his own wounds. Shukaku walked into the room, like it really was his own, and shut the doors behind him. It was so… bare, no pictures, no full-length mirrors, the clothes hidden away, the bed having un-patterned sheets, the whole room being monochromatic. It was so impersonal, Shukaku actually smiled.

He made his way back towards the bathroom, seeing the personal bath, complete with warm water. He knew he'd get used to being pampered soon enough. He'd live the good life, and lay low, at least until his crowning ceremony. On that day, and the days to follow, he'd execute his plans. Sabaku would be a peaceful territory no more, prepare, good neighbors. The reign of 'Gaara' would be one to remember. Shukaku laughed maniacally as he soaked in the luxurious bath. Everything was right in the world. At least, in his world.

Kankuro's group, Gai's group, and the rest of the search parties were notified by messengers the next day or sooner. Regardless, they were all there at the castle by the seventh day, everyone in high spirits and completely exhausted. Though most groups had traveled non-stop, they all agreed festivities were in order, in celebration! By noon a full-blown festival was taking place, 'Gaara' being the center of attention.

Little did they know, the real 'princess' was still miles away, but heading that way. The missing knight accompanying her, he being the only other member of the castle that knew the princess at the festival was really an imposter. They were to be party crashers, but for a noble cause.

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Huzzah! Fanfiction finally let me post the newest chapter! Hopefully I'll get the chance to work on the next chapter soon? Maybe, but here's this one. It answers some of the questions of what everyone has been doing for the last, what, seven chapters? I think so, whatever. I big thank you to everyone who reviews and reads this thing! In the end, that's the biggest reason why I continue to write this fanfic.


	20. The Beginning of a Battle

Chapter 20: The Beginning of a Battle

The sun came up days too soon, the light on the horizon foreboding, menacing. Gaara stirred and Lee woke, but he refused to open his eyes just yet. He had gotten good sleep, and, as everyone does when they're awakening, he didn't register what this day was to hold for him. But as soon as he opened his eyes, as soon as he saw where they were, and the instant when he saw Gaara's grave expression, he remembered. Yet he still smiled, moving his arms to stretch and then embracing Gaara again. They didn't need any words, it was for reassurance. They moved to get up after a long moment, the sun creeping upwards towards the sky ever so slowly. It was going to be a long day.

Lee went to reapply his medicine before putting his boots on. "Check your wounds, too, Gaara." Lee said, giving Gaara a concerned look. He simply nodded in reply, removing his shirt and pants to look at all his wounds. Just by moving, though, he knew his backside was doing much better. He checked all of the wounds, having a hard time finding some because they were already healing over, a scab taking away the pain on most of the cuts. Lee bit his lower lip when he looked over at Gaara; he found it difficult to control himself. They didn't know what would happen today, this might be their last chance. Once Gaara was done rewrapping the bandages where they still needed to be Lee brought him closer, capturing Gaara's lips with his own. He didn't prolong the kiss, though, afraid that he might not be able to stop himself if they started. After he broke away, Lee bent down to tie up his laces.

"Gaara," Lee said, facing the pale teen to his side. Gaara was currently putting his shirt back on, and turned towards Lee as soon as his arms and head were through their appropriate holes. Lee took one look at the male and knew he didn't have to say that he loved him. He simply shook his head, smiling, knowing they were going to be okay. He'd make sure Gaara was okay, no matter what.

"We'll beat him." Lee finally responded, giving Gaara a nice guy pose as he sat up again. Gaara's look softened, but he didn't quite smile. They didn't have any possessions to gather so they left the room, heading out of room to go into the adjoining tavern. They also received a breakfast with their stay, so they took the food that was offered to them. Gaara again gave most of his to Lee, knowing Lee would need the sustenance more than he would. After they were finished they walked out of the place, onto the road that would soon lead them back to the capital.

"Ah, do you think you can walk, or should I…" Lee started, looking over at Gaara, hoping he would say he could carry him. He didn't want Gaara to try too hard and reopen his wounds.

"Just carry me." Gaara replied, and Lee smiled. Lee nodded, scooping the smaller male up into his arms with ease. It was like his arms were molded to fit Gaara's body, the position comfortable for the both of them. The weight in his arms helping Lee remember what living really felt like, the pressure lightly embracing him helping Gaara to stay sane. Lee smiled as he ran, having never been one to have too many inhibitions about running off into battle. To him, this was just the consummation of their love, at least, that's how he was going to view it. Failure was not an option, and diligence was to be key. Gaara tried not thinking about it, but the more he tried not to think about it the more it stirred uncomfortably in his mind. Lee ran, maybe not as swiftly as he had the days before, but quickly. He didn't want to rush this day, it was going to happen, the more energy he preserved the more likely he would achieve success. They weren't very far from the capital, maybe a few hours at most. They'd be at the capital well before noon for sure.

While at the capital the festival was still in the beginning stages, having started a bit later, since everyone was close to exhaustion. Shukaku was the center of attention, a constant buzz around the castle and even in the streets of the capital. It was almost as annoying as the drone of a swarm of locust. Though the sounds of insects might have been more relaxing than the chatter of all these busybodies. Shukaku kept up the act, he didn't want anyone to get suspicious too soon, he need to be crowned ruler before anyone could see through his disguise. He doubted anyone would, unless the real Gaara happened to show up too soon. Or his darling little pet knight, what was that name again? Yes, it was Lee. But he thought they might not appear for a while, and Gaara might have even run off, or killed himself! The very thought had Shukaku giddy, as giddy as he could get, that is. Though, he would have surely felt if it Gaara had killed himself. After all, they were united together, so Gaara must be alive. But he was probably crushed, the hopeless mess of one abused, the agony that fueled Shukaku's very being.

Gaara was far from crushed, contrary to Shukaku's beliefs. He was ready to be the one doing the crushing. Not having to walk gave him ample time to heal, and by this point in time he was ready to be fully operational. But he didn't tell Lee that, he was perfectly fine with Lee believing he needed to be held. And since he knew it wasn't straining the knight in the slightest to support his small frame he let Lee carry him. If anything it kept Lee from running himself into the ground, like he had done when searching for him. Literally.

"Gaara?" Lee suddenly interrupted his thoughts, but not unpleasantly.

"What is it, Lee?" Gaara replied, but the words held little emotion, Gaara was distracted.

"It's just, do you know how strong this Shukaku man is?" Lee asked, he wasn't worried about losing. But it was always good to know about your opponent before you faced him. Lee regretted his question as soon as he heard the reply.

"Stronger than I am, obviously." Gaara answered, his voice showing more hurt than he had wanted it too. It was something he'd been beating himself up over for a while now. He knew Shukaku was stronger than him; he hadn't been able to fight off Shukaku's advances. It showed Gaara how weak he really was without his sand, without anything. Gaara grew rigged with anger, all of his frustration turned inwardly. He was disappointed with himself, irritated that he was nothing compared to this demon, Shukaku. This demon with his face, the one that made him doubt himself. It was almost as if it was an inner demon, but manifested. Gaara could almost see some of his more hated qualities in Shukaku, pieces of himself that he'd tried to get rid of. But the only time a manifestation of emotions ever happened was in fairy tales. And he believed that if his life were indeed a fairy tale, it was one very twisted fantasy.

Lee could not think of anything to say to Gaara to make him feel better, he didn't want to step on any sore spots. He finally replied with, "Don't worry, together, I'm sure we can beat him." Lee believed this was really true, with everything that he was.

"If you say so." Gaara replied, not being sarcastic, though. Even after over thinking the matter, Gaara still couldn't decide on a fate that awaited them. It was all up in the air, who knew what tragedy or blessing would befall them next? They both tried to stop thinking about it when they could finally see the capital in the distance. They didn't say anything for a little while, not knowing how to respond to being back here. It looked the same, so nothing too drastic had happened yet. But, was it really still the same? They wouldn't know until they were actually there.

"Finally, we have arrived." Gaara simply stated when the capital was approaching fast. Lee slowed down again, still not sure of how to go about this whole ordeal.

"It seems like years since we were last here." Lee added, Gaara nodding solemnly in agreement. The knights watching at the tower took notice of Lee's approach before Lee took notice of their positions.

"Is that Sir Lee?" A newly appointed knight asked his advisor; pointing towards the object moving towards the capital at the speed they all knew to be Lee's and Lee's alone. The elder knight did a double take as he looked out the window, still amazed at the young knight's speed.

"It couldn't possibly be anything else. But it looks as if he's carrying something…" The older knight commented, looking at the approaching figure intently.

"It looks like… a person?" A younger knight said, joining the group standing at the cities front gates. The other two nodded in agreement, waiting for Lee to get closer so they could be certain. They didn't have to wait long, and what they saw surprised them like nothing else would have.

"Is that…" One started, but in such disbelief that he couldn't finish, and one of the others completed it with, "Gaara-hime?" They all awaited Lee to come to the gate and stop, for the closer he got the more and more the person in his arms looked like Gaara-hime. Lee slowed down as he approached them, but didn't quite stop.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain things later. We must get to the castle this instant. Sorry!" Lee said quickly to them, half of it over his shoulder, as he ran through the open gates and up the city streets. He received many a strange look, some people trying to ask a question or two, but Lee was out of earshot before he could even hear their words. He was heading towards the castle, and causing quite the ruckus.

When Lee came into the castle's open gates and into the courtyard, where the festival was taking place, all eyes were on him. And all of the attention was directed towards a certain redhead that occupied his arms. Lee slowly let Gaara stand and face them by his side as Shukaku manifested out in front of the crowd, threatening them with a grin.

"What in the devil's name?" "Who is that?" "What has happened?" And other exclamations of bewilderment filled the air between the two opposing forces. In another moment Temari and Kankuro were in front of the crowd, facing Lee and what he had brought with him. Lee looked absolutely disheveled, while Gaara was so beat up he barely looked anything like his old self. Plus, he was dressed as a man, which threw all the nobles off. But Temari and Kankuro knew better than to immediately believe that the Gaara with Lee was a fake. Instead, they turned to question the Gaara on their side, the one they had housed. But they didn't need to wonder long about who the real Gaara was, for Shukaku could hold it in himself no longer. He laughed, like Gaara never could, a maniacal laughter that shut all the nobles up immediately.

"So, you are here to face me. Ruining all of my plans. Yet that makes every so much more…" Shukaku said calmly as he traveled over to Gaara and Lee, "Interesting."

Lee came between them automatically, taking a defensive position in front of Gaara. "You cannot win. Leave now." Lee's voice came out more threatening than anyone had ever heard before. No one had ever really driven Lee to the point of anger; he was a very enduring person.

"What makes you so sure I cannot win? Surely you jest. If you are the ones to leave, maybe a few lives will be spared today." Shukaku remarked, smiling. Gaara noted he didn't start using their special skill; he was serious about wanting them to leave. He didn't want to kill them yet, but why?

The crowd looked on in worry and wonder, Temari and Kankuro afraid to intervene just yet. The Gaara that had come in with Lee seemed more real than the Gaara that had been found by their troops. But, then, who was this that they had let into their household? He resembled Gaara, almost exactly, only differences being their hair length and the small scar Gaara had acquired on his cheek. Everything else was identical, and they wondered whether or not they both possessed the ability to manipulated the sand.

The nobles and majority of the people, however, were fooled into thinking Shukaku was the princess wholeheartedly. But it was confusing for them, and when put into a miasma of befuddlement a crowd often finds itself becoming more of an angered mob. So they threw angry questions at Lee and the 'imposter,' cheering the real fraud instead. That is, until Temari shouted for them to be still, they obeyed her command. Yet they still emitted the emotions of hatred and distrust, making the atmosphere of the place all the more polluted.

"You're not Gaara, are you?" Temari questioned, putting a misplaced hand on Shukaku's shoulder. She regretted this action instantaneously, as he used the sand to violently tear her away from him. Her wrist bled and she fell harshly to the ground, but other than that, she was fine. But this was more than enough violence needed to shock the crowed into utter bewilderment and send Lee, Kankuro, and Gaara into a minor fit of rage.

"Don't touch them, your business is with me." Gaara practically hissed out, his teeth clenched. Shukaku shot him an amused glare, then laughed again.

"You all are hysterical, really. If you don't what me to busy myself with others," Shukaku swiftly stepped towards Gaara, the dress hiding his feet and making it seem like he was simply hovering to where he wanted to be. When he had his face mere inches from Gaara's he finished with a hiss, "Then keep me entertained."

Gaara might have done something to get Shukaku away from him, but before he could respond to the threat Shukaku was away from him. Lee had acted fast, swiftly and easily jumping from beside Gaara and landing a quick heel into Shukaku's chest, sending him to the ground skidding. If it took a lot to anger Lee, it took even more to enrage him. He was infuriated, for more reasons than he could count. Had he been a less honorable knight he would have kicked Shukaku while he was down.

The crowd let out audible gasps, but didn't say anything. They were confused, beyond the point of reasoning, even their own. They had just seen their 'princess' use sand to throw her sister away from her. Force manipulation was apart of fairy tales, myths, and mages, not their lives. Yet here they saw it again, as the 'princess' used it to take hold of the knight's ankle and force him to fall. Then the princess in men's clothing took hold of the sand and tore it away from the knight. By this point in time the onlookers gave up on trying to make sense of things just yet, for now they would watch and try not to get in the range of fire.

Shukaku stood back up again, grinning. Every time he tried to move the sand he felt Gaara push it back away from him. He already knew Gaara could keep his sand at bay. At least, he could keep it controlled for now. Lee came back up to his feet almost as soon as he had been knocked down. A small trickle of blood showing where he had landed when he had fell. It was nothing to him, though, and he took a fighting stance beside Gaara, ready to defend him with everything he had.

"I'll take it that you two are not planning on leaving anytime soon?" Shukaku replied mockingly, smiling.

"Of course not, we belong here. Not you and your disillusions of power you'll never attain." Gaara replied, using a lot of his strength in just keeping the sand at bay. He could feel Shukaku moving it from him, trying to get it through him. But Gaara was stronger than that; he just needed a few moments to realize it.

"Get back everyone, please stay back!" Lee shouted to the crowds, especially the ones at the gates of the palace. But as soon as he said this the crowds within the castle walls realized just how dangerous this could be, even if the could bare conceive what was taking place. After a moment they had flooded out into the streets outside the castle while the knights all guarded the entrance, Vlad and his men currently making up most of the inner force. Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, Shukaku, and Lee were the only ones left in the courtyard. It seemed Gaara and Shukaku were simply having a stand off, but in reality, they were having a battle of wills. Shukaku was out of luck this time, though, because Gaara wasn't alone, and he seemed to have forgotten that.

Lee came back from where he'd been helping herd the masses to see Gaara break into a small sweat. Upon this he proceeded to swiftly side kick Shukaku in the side of his head, catching the man off guard with his speed. Shukaku was thrown into a palace wall this time, leaving quite the mark. Lee felt satisfied with the damage to Shukaku, but didn't feel so proud of the crater in the wall.

Shukaku was far from done yet, though, and he picked himself up as he turned his face to the side and spat out the blood from inside his injured mouth. His smile was even more eerie with the blood staining it. He laughed, amused that he could taste his own blood.

"What a fitting way to begin a battle…" Shukaku muttered merrily, in a euphoric state of pain.

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I. Am. So. Sorry! I completely neglected this document, I uploaded this at least at week ago on DA! Luckily, I got a nice review on chapter 19 that reminded me 'Hey, I haven't put this chapter on yet!' Well. All I can say is sorry, and thank you for putting up with this! I haven't written on this in forever, but I'm out of school in two days so hopefully I'll get to finishing it. Only a few chapters left! Then I'm moving on. Because I personally don't like looking at my own writting. And I've been starring at this thing long enough! Thank you, to everyone reading this right now! And thanks to the second power for all of you who have, or will review.


	21. Fight For an End

Chapter 21: Fight For an End

Gaara quickly scanned the area, he could feel something happening, and the sand being torn away from him, but it didn't feel like Shukaku's doing. That, or Shukaku had just gotten a lot stronger. Before he could warn Lee, he felt the sand torn away from him and instantaneously saw it before them, whipping himself and Lee to the ground. They were pinned there by their arms and legs, Lee physically struggling against it and Gaara trying his hardest to get the sand off of him. He'd gotten weaker or Shukaku had just shown what he could really do.

Shukaku moved towards Gaara, and removed the sand from him, only to keep him pinned there with his foot. He slowly added pressure to Gaara's chest with his foot, leaning into it a little further for every time Gaara fought against it. Shukaku gathered the sand up his arms, ripping the dress's sleeves to pieces. Gaara could see him reinforcing his arms with the sand, and he waited to be hit by those arms. But they never moved towards him, instead Shukaku's face leaned down right in front of Gaara's.

"I'm in a good mood. I'll give you and your little boyfriend one last chance to leave." At this he spit the blood out of his mouth again, leaving his eerie bloody smile to greet Gaara. "So, what do you say?" Shukaku put a little more pressure onto his chest to remind him of the position he was in.

Suddenly, Shukaku's weight was thrown off of Gaara as he saw a blur tackle the monster to the ground. He sat up to see Lee had escaped the sand, but not without his fair share of bruises and cuts covering his arms and already injured legs. Lee got one or two punches on Shukaku before he recovered. Though he was now angry, his kind offer had been refused. He threw both of them against an outer wall of the castle with the sand and pinned them there. His face was now even more of a mess, the blood gathering there making him look more and more like a monster with each passing moment. He no longer took the time to spit the blood out of his mouth, but let it seep out the sides and down his chin. He smiled, because it was interesting. But too much of a good thing will make someone sick. And he didn't want to be sick; he was to take over a kingdom today. So he'd have to get rid of his toys.

"Well, I'll take that as a no?" He mocked, waking towards them. "Then I guess you've chosen death. How lovely, I'll let you die together." He laughed maniacally, unable to control it. "I'm such a nice person." He muttered, still trying to control the laughter.

Once he was done chuckling at their imminent deaths two matching collars of sand clasped onto their necks. Shukaku slowly added a little pressure to the collars, giggling a bit as he saw their breathing hindered. Pain, he relished in it. His pain, their pain, it was all the same for him. As long as he drew this out, made it as excruciating as possible, he'd be satisfied. He tightened it a bit more, finding pleasure in hearing their breath hitch. With the sand he moved their arms above their heads, wondering whether he should rip their arms out of their sockets or not. He'd always want to make someone a quadruple amputee… He stretched their arms farther above their heads until he knew they would be screaming if they could. Just as he was about to make their muscles tear he was hit upside the head with something that caused him to fall sideways.

"Stay the fuck away from my little brother!" Temari yelled as she saw the monster fall from her attack. The sand was released from Gaara and Lee, and they took grateful heaves of air for a few moments, glad their arms were still intact. Shukaku looked up, twisting his head towards his attacker, only to see the only thing she carried was a fan. What had he been hit with, then? As he moved to get up, he found out what it had been, as he was once again hit by a wall of wind. Temari smiled at his surprise. Two elementals in one family? He couldn't believe he had looked over such a huge factor. He cursed himself, and decided to drop this lousy human form. If he didn't, he surely would have been beaten.

They all looked on in horror as they saw Shukaku's form writhe and gather sand. It was transforming, and they couldn't stop it, so they were forced to just look on in horror. They saw the true form of the beast, a giant sand raccoon demon, said to have been extinct for eons. But it looked as though Gaara's gift had awakened this one, and now they'd have to somehow rid the place of it.

Now Kankuro arrived, carrying someone with him, an elder, it looked like. Now Gaara knew where they had gone while they had kept Shukaku at bay. Kankuro came to Temari, Gaara, and Lee, who had grouped together as they watched in horror as the demon manifested itself. The elder was set down, and looked at the demon with a certain expression of realization.

"I got here as fast as I could, but…" He looked from them to the mass of sand gathering before them.

"It's finally revealed itself. There is only one way to get rid of it. But there's a hefty price to pay." The elder said, his voice barely above a whisper, yet audible. "We'd have to seal it, and to seal it we need a vessel."

"I'll do it." They all said at once, then looked at each other, worried for one another.

"It's my fault, for ever letting it in the castle." Temari said, but Kankuro shook his head.

"It's more so my fault, I'm supposed to look out for the everyone." They didn't want to argue, but none of them wanted any of the others to bear the pains of being a vessel.

"I'll do it." Gaara stated once again, but Lee quickly stood in front of him, like that would protect him from being chosen.

"I can't let that happen to you Gaara, I'll take it." Lee said, but Gaara pushed him aside.

"It only makes sense for me to do it. It's after me, it was awaken by me, and we share the same element. It has to be me. If any of you do it, it'll reject you and the pain will only be that much worse." Gaara said, no emotion in his words, even though ears would search for a hint of sadness or regret.

"Then it is decided. I will start the transfer, the markings. It is up to you three to keep the monster at bay. And it seems he's almost ready to take all three of you on. Be careful, he now has all of his power. Don't kill yourselves, just keep him from killing us." The elder said, and the others turned to see the huge form of the monster before them. The elder lead Gaara a little ways away from them, towards the castle's barrier walls. There he instructed Gaara to remove his shirt, which he did. The elder then pulled a brush and ink from somewhere on his person and started the inscriptions on Gaara skin.

The others, on the other hand, where put to a much more physical task. While Gaara prepared himself to become one with the demon they had to make sure the said demon didn't kill him first. It opened it's black eyes and stared down at them, and the could've sworn it was smiling. It moved a large clawed arm towards them, which Temari removed with a blast of wind. But the speed in which it re-grew was frightening, and it continued towards Temari. Lee quickly tried to kick the arm away, but the sand just enveloped his leg. And then he was being held upside down by the giant hand, which seemed to be dangling him in midair just for amusement. It might have been a different form, but it was still the demon they had come to know and detest. He was cut from the hand and caught by some hard form, then put to the ground once again. He looked over to see some sort of life sized puppet as his rescuer, then looked towards Kankuro to see he had been the one controlling it. This time, even Lee was astonished. Three elementals in one family; sand, wind, and wood. He now felt sort of left out, having nothing but his own will to fight with. But he wasn't able to think of too long, because now was the time for fighting, not anything else.

The elder took his time writing the seal, not want to mess up one line of one symbol, because if he did, who knew what was to happen to them. He knew it by heart, as he had to, but still, he'd rather not rush it. And he believed the others could fend off the beast.

Which they were doing, more or less. Distracting it, yes, defeating it? No. But they didn't need to defeat it, because there was no hope of defeating it, only containing it. Yet they still tried their hardest. They focused on the head, because it took the longest to recover, and it was the only seemingly weak point. And yet again, they were attacking Shukaku's face, as they had done before. Had he cared for his face he might have been frustrated at how they tried to pulverize it. Shukaku may have been strong, but he was much slower in using the sand in this form. While Temari and Kankuro would keep the hands busy Lee would run up on or the other to injure the head, which he had to back flip off of after hurting in order to avoid being crushed or encircled by the sand again.

This routine worked, until Shukaku got tired of it and swiped at Temari and Kankuro with his tail, sending them back and leaving his arms open to hit Lee to the ground. They could all get up after this, but were feeling the pain, Lee twice if not thrice as much as Temari and Kankuro. Just when they thought they might not be able to keep the raccoon demon occupied for much longer, reinforcements arrived. Kiba had gathered all of the knights he could find that weren't already busy keeping the civilians out of the area and had brought them to the castle, here, to fight.

"We fight 'til dead, charge!" Kiba proclaimed as they all followed him, swords raised, to attack the mass of sand. It didn't have much affect on it's own, but it did occupy Shukaku enough so that the Temari and Kankuro could manage some devastating attacks. Or, they would be devastating if Shukaku didn't just recover after every strike. The knights were constantly knocked to their feet by Shukaku's tail, or just waves of sand, but they continued to get back up after every blow. Lee went back to running up the sides and focusing his strength on attacking the head. All of this, going on all at once, most surely kept Shukaku at bay. Too many hits at once to focus on much more that recovering.

Battered and bruised they fought on, but not for much longer. For the Elder stood up, inspecting his work, then turning to the demon at hand. Shukaku didn't seem so monstrous when faced against so many opponents, and the elder knew they'd seal him. The only problem would be, could Gaara live with the demon as apart of him. Hoping they had made the right decision, the elder started the incantation, still not speaking above a whisper, so no one heard him. But after several minutes of chanting softly, the monstrous form began to disappear, little by little. The sand dissipated and the wretched soul started to enter the lifeless form that was Gaara. The creepiest thing was how Gaara didn't even twitch as the demon and him became one. The other stopped their fight, no longer having to keep Shukaku occupied. He was threatened enough by his own slowly disintegrating form. They all heard the demon give out one last, low cry of hatred as the last of it blew into the wind and the soul entered Gaara through the seal. They all gathered, making a circle around Gaara, watching, waiting, and the glow of the fusion started to dissipate. Lee came the closest, not daring to touch him yet, but wanting to. He might have been the bloodiest of them all, torn up from head to toe.

The glow receded completely, yet the eyes stayed closed. It wasn't unheard of for a vessel to die when taking a soul in with it's own. It happened more often than not, actually. So they waited, and Lee dared to touch the hand of the one he had loved, the one he still loved. At this the eyes opened wide, then narrowed, and Lee could help but pick him off the ground and embrace him. Everyone let out breaths they hadn't known they had been holding, and few cried in relief, Lee being the one to cry the most. He knew this was Gaara, not the demon. Because it was also known that the demon could take over the body of its vessel if the vessel's soul died. Yet this was Gaara, and he was fine. Or, at least, he wasn't dead.

No one talked yet; they were all too tired and relieved. Temari broke the silence, though. "Before anything is explained, I say we all rest. All able bodies are to help fetch medical units. First, we should clean up ourselves, then we can fix the castle." And as she said it, it was obeyed. All medicine men in the capital were called to the castle, where they had to avoid parts of the castle that were falling apart. Nobles who had been at the capital rested at inns, awaiting the announcements that would come after the castle was fixed. Temari, Kankuro, Kiba, all of the knights who had fought, and especially Lee were all given special medical attention. Gaara was fine, for the most part, and stayed with Lee while he healed. Gaara was check up on by the elder, but had no physical ailments that wouldn't heal on their own. Lee wasn't so lucky. They had many medicine men look at him, but none of them knew how they were supposed to fix his legs.

"He'll probably never walk again." Most of them said before leaving to help others. Lee, having fallen unconscious after crying in relief, hadn't awoken yet. And after two days, he still hadn't. The castle was being rebuilt, and others were on their way to full recoveries. Gaara hadn't slept, and had stayed by Lee, not speaking. No one asked him anything, not wanting to upset him. They didn't see him being taken over by the beast, so they assumed he was all right. In the middle of the night on the second day, though, Lee finally came back into consciousness. Though, he came back to experience a lot of hurt, and the instant he opened his eyes they were closed again, trying to bare the pain of it all.

Slowly, Lee opened his eyes and turned his head, finding Gaara there, staring back at him. "Ah, Gaara, you're all right. Good." He said through clenched teeth, not knowing how else to deal with the horrible ache.

"I'm fine. You're not." Gaara said coolly, the most he had said in days.

"Oh, but I'll heal. What about you, is everything ok, I mean with the seal?" Lee said, his body numbing off the pain as best it could on it's own.

"Yes, it's… fine. And you might not heal this time, Lee." Gaara replied gravely.

"What do you mean?" Lee asked, knowing he had healed from everything before this. He hadn't gone too far, right? Otherwise, he'd be dead.

"They say you might not walk again." Gaara almost muttered, not liking the sound of the idea aloud.

"Ah…well, as long as you're okay. I mean, I'll still live, right?" Lee tried to smile, but it was a horrendous thought. Never walking again, never running again, never being able to do anything with his legs, ever again. It was enough to make him cry, even though he didn't notice his own tears at first.

"Don't spill your tears. It'll…It'll be okay." Gaara said slowly, like he needed to believe the words himself. Lee nodded, which only made it hurt more. He winced at the pain, but accepted it. If Gaara was the one needed to reassure him, then he better start smiling. And Lee managed a weak smile, giving it to Gaara before closing his eyes.

"I can't keep my eyes open, Gaara." Lee said softly, trying to stay awake. He really wanted to talk with Gaara. He really wanted to make sure he was okay. Because, if Gaara was okay, he was okay.

"It's fine. Sleep. It helps the wounds to heal." Gaara said, and soon heard the deep breathing of Lee's entering the first stage of sleep.

**Wish you could do that, don't you?**

_Of course I do. But I can't let you have a chance to do anything. I can get by without sleep. As long as it means you'll never hurt him again, I can stay awake._

**If you say so. I'll be here, waiting. **

_Because that's all you can do, wait. You won't get the best of me, I promise._

Gaara continued to sit there, and he didn't need Lee to carry on a conversation. Because he was constantly bickering with his new burden. And that would be enough to keep anyone awake.

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXX**

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who reads this, and those of you who review it! I haven't answered any reviews because... well... I sleep a lot. xD I'm finally out of school, time to catch up on missed sleep. Though, I stayed awake long enough to write this so, hurray! And I remember to post it here right after posting it on Deviant Art, so it's all good. I'm sorry it's so bad, I swear, a couple more chapters and I'm done! Dx


	22. Resolutions

Chapter 22: Resolutions

Lee awoke the next morning to shouts coming from behind the door, which was almost instantly followed by the door being thrown open. Standing there was, to him, a luminous, angelic form, come here to save the day.

"Sakura-san!" Lee replied loudly to her entrance, and Gaara continued to sit there, turning towards the loud, pink haired woman.

"You know this woman?" Naruto, who had been trying to detain her from entering, questioned.

"Yes, let her in." Lee replied and Naruto nodded and left. "Sakura-san, I'm so glad-" Lee started to say, but was cut off by Sakura.

"What did I tell you? You needed to take it easy! Now I hear that you'll never walk again, is that right?" Sakura questioned, quite angry he hadn't heeded her warning.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Sakura-san." Lee replied meekly. "But how did you know-" And yet again Sakura interrupted him.

"It's only the biggest news in the entire kingdom, everyone's in a stir about all of this. Though, I was surprised to find out the fiancé you spoke of was the 'princess' here." Sakura replied, motioning to Gaara, who Lee now noticed for the first time that morning.

"Ah, Gaara! I'm sorry; I didn't know you were still here. Didn't you go to bed last night? Are you okay?" Lee asked, but before Gaara could reply, Sakura once again interrupted.

"He's fine, by the looks of it, a lot better off than you, I'd say." She paused, and then walked over to the foot of Lee's bed, ready to remove the blanket that covered his injuries. "Now, let's get a good look at those legs." She removed the blanket, only to find the handiwork of several different medics on his body, focusing on his arms and legs. She stood there for a few moments; her eyes trailing along the cuts and bruises. She finally moved her hands over the legs, feeling the soon to be scars, the broken bones, and the torn muscle tissue. Lee drew in quick pained breaths whenever she squeezed or prodded at his legs. He had been unconscious for all of the other examinations.

"It's better than I thought." Sakura said after a while, her voice free of the anger that had controlled it before. She then left the room, coming back in with the bag she had left outside the door.

"So, Sakura-san, do you think I might walk again?" Lee said, hopeful now that she had stated it was better than she had thought. Sakura laughed in reply, though, which kind of scared him.

"Walk? Of course. The men who said that you wouldn't walk again should rethink their medical studies. Run, jump, skip? Now that's another story. The only reason I said it was better than I thought is because I thought you'd done a lot worse to your legs. Since you seem to love to abuse them so." Sakura replied, taking out oddities from her bag and setting them on the nightstand next to Gaara. She then realized this was the person to inherit the throne, and she should probably show at least a little respect.

"Sorry, your highness, for not introducing myself. Sakura, medic, at your service." She said, giving a slight curtsy in Gaara's direction.

"Continue, please fix Lee as soon as possible." Gaara said, adding the uncharacteristic 'please' because he was desperate. He really didn't like the thought of Lee being crippled, all because he was fighting for him. If this woman could help Lee become well, then that would take a great deal off of Gaara's shoulders.

"Don't worry. This man here may have messed up in more ways than I could count right now, but I'll do all that I can. And I promise, the least I can do is get him walking again." Sakura replied, smiling.

"Thank you so much, Sakura-san!" Lee said merrily. But Sakura turned back towards him with a grimace.

"You. If you do not listen to everything I say I'll make sure your legs are broken permanently myself. The healing is going to take a long time. It will take over months, and if you're very unlucky, it might take years before you can use your legs like you used to." Sakura removed the bandages off of his legs, slowly, and started her own treatments.

"But if I fix your legs, which I believe I will, you have to promise me something." Sakura said, completely serious in her request.

"Of course, what do I have to promise?" Lee asked, dealing with the pain in his legs. He knew Sakura knew what she was doing.

"That you won't run yourself into the ground anymore. You really need to take care of yourself, you know?" She looked over at him, but he just gave her a perplexed look. "Okay, Lee, you're selfless, you've proved that. But you can't do this to yourself anymore. You need to do things for yourself once in awhile, and take care of yourself before you go off rushing into battle."

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san. I promise, I'll take better care of myself." Lee said, his face still contorted into a look of pain as he dealt with the feeling of open air on his wounds.

"I'll take care of him." Gaara said softly. Sakura then turned to him, giving him a confident smile.

"I'm sure you will. Keep him in line when I can't, make sure he keeps his promise." Sakura said to Gaara, the pointed to the table behind him. "Also, could you hand me that?" Gaara looked behind him, pointed to a reddish bottle, which received a nod from Sakura. He then handed her the bottle, which she used skillfully on Lee's injuries.

For a few minutes, the only audible noises anyone made where Lee's quick intakes or exhales of air, while Sakura focused on applying the medications. When she finally had his legs re-bandaged, she picked up her bag and turned to leave.

"Now all we can do is wait. We'll reapply the medicine daily. For now, I'll see how many more of these poor people have been wrongly diagnosed. I'll check in on you later, to see how it's doing." Sakura stated to Lee, waved, then left, closing the door behind her.

"Do your legs feel any better?" Gaara asked, and Lee nodded.

"It hurt while she put the medicine on, but it feels a lot better now." Lee replied, turning to face Gaara as best he could.

There was silence between them for a moment or two, neither one of them knowing exactly what to say. They stared at each other, Gaara much more uncomfortable, having to stare at Lee while he was in so much pain. Lee was strong; Gaara had hoped to never see him like this. A few moments later, they both started to say something at the same time.

"I'm sorry." They said at the same time, looking into one another's eyes.

"Why should you be sorry, Gaara?" Lee asked, Gaara shook his head in reply.

"It's my fault you're like this, my fault that you drove yourself to the breaking point." Gaara said solemnly, it had been bugging him the entire time he'd been here at Lee's beside. It was his fault that Lee was like this.

"None of it's your fault, Gaara. Don't blame yourself." Lee replied, just as serious as Gaara was.

"But if it had been anyone else-" Gaara started, but Lee cut him off.

"No, because it didn't happen to anyone else, it happened to you. It couldn't have happened to anyone but you. And you are more important to me than anything or anyone else. I'd happily give my life for you." Lee said, trying to reassure Gaara, but it didn't work. Gaara shook his head again.

"Don't. I don't want you to ever do that, think about doing that, or talk about doing that. I can barely stand to see you injured like this for my sake." Gaara replied quietly. Looking away, uncomfortable with the thought of Lee ever dying. The scariest part of the idea was that it could happen, and almost had.

"I'm sorry, Gaara." Lee said, not wanting to worry Gaara anymore.

"What are you sorry for, Lee?" Gaara asked, his voice still quiet and full of remorse that he didn't usually show.

"Well, worrying you, for the most part." Lee replied, and then examined Gaara a bit closer; noticing how sickly Gaara himself was looking. "By the way, you look even paler than usually, are you sure you're all right?"

Gaara looked back at Lee, not aware of his outward appearance in the slightest. He could tell Lee about it, he decided. "I haven't been able to sleep…" Gaara started, but he was reluctant to reveal the cause of his lack of sleep. "I never slept much, but now I don't sleep at all."

"Because of me?" Lee asked, but Gaara shook his head. Lee then remembered the burden Gaara had to constantly carry now. "Because of the…demon?" Lee hesitated to talk about it, but Gaara nodded.

"It's…different. I wonder how it'll affect what I do from now on." Gaara wondered aloud. Had Lee been able to, he would've taken Gaara's hand in an attempt to comfort him.  
"Gaara, the seal should hold up pretty well against the demon. We should ask the elder, but I think you'll be able to sleep soon. At least, sleep like you're accustomed to. Gaara?" Lee waited for Gaara to look at him.

"What is it?" Gaara asked, his voice still holding that sense of sorrow. Lee believed he knew why he was being so remorseful.

"None of this, any of it, nothing that has happened or ever will happen can change how I feel about you. From the moment I met you, and when I met you again as someone else, I have always, and will always, love you." Lee finished, hoping his words might work. And, when he saw Gaara's expression lighten into what was almost a smile, he felt accomplished.

Gaara took a second to recover from Lee's words. As overdone as they were, they were genuine. That was one thing about Lee that reassured Gaara, no matter how cliché he was, Lee was genuine. "Thank you, Lee. I-" Gaara paused, still not used to the phrase. "Love you, too." The words fell from his lips heavily; he didn't like how it sounded. He decided Lee said it a lot better than he ever could.

"Gaara?" Lee asked, his smile a bit flustered.

"Lee?" Gaara replied, and Lee's face only turned a darker shade of crimson.

"I can't move much more than my head. Could you…" Lee paused, looking away, the blush on his face only getting worse. "Kiss me?" He finally managed to stutter out. It was flattering, how Lee was still nervous about their relationship. Gaara didn't even nod, he just moved over to Lee, placing his lips lightly on Lee's. The feeling was the same as it had always been, brilliant. Gaara moved away a bit, keeping the kiss chaste, but Lee managed to lift his head up a bit and recapture Gaara's lips for another innocent kiss. As Gaara pulled away he saw the content grin on Lee's face. This time he needn't be asked, he wanted to kiss Lee himself. He pressed his lips against Lee's once again, surprising the knight with the affection. Something primal pressed Gaara to deepen the kiss, and Lee answered presently to his need, opening his lips the instant Gaara's tongue asked for entry. Gaara dominated to kiss, his tongue leading Lee's in the tango they both knew all too well.

It'd been awhile since Gaara had felt the way he felt right now, just like he used to, before all of this happened. It seemed, in memory of old times, that the door opened just to spite him. This time he wouldn't let the door get away with its insolence, and swiftly pressed the door closed with the sand. All the while never breaking contact with Lee, who was too incoherent from Gaara's lips to notice anything else. But now the force behind the door knocked angrily, catching the knight's attention and forcing Gaara to break away. Once Gaara had moved back to sit in the chair next to Lee's bed Lee called to the door, "Come in!" Gaara moved the sand so they could actually reopen the door. It was Temari, with a look of both relief and frustration on her face.

"I see you've learned a new trick, I'll have to remember to knock from now on. You almost hit me with the door!" Temari reprimanded Gaara, who shrugged in reply.

"Anyway, I'm glad to see you're up, Lee." Temari smiled at him, having just heard from that pink haired woman that he'd be able to walk again.

"Yep! I'm feeling a lot better today, Temari, thank you." Lee said merrily, overly exuberant not only because he had been told he would be able to use his legs again but also because of the rush of happiness Gaara's kisses always brought him.

"Not well enough to move all that much, though, I can tell." Temari sighed, tired of everyone complaining about having an official royal meeting to discuss things. She couldn't have a meeting if Lee could not attend because if Lee weren't there Gaara would most definitely not attend.

"Yeah, sorry." Lee apologized, because he hated making people worry.

"No, it's fine, you need ample time to heal if we ever want you out and about again." Temari replied, inwardly hoping he'd be better sooner rather than later.

"What is it you came to discuss?" Gaara asked, knowing his sister wouldn't just show up at a time like this. She was much too busy for any sort of leisure.

"Well, I've already accomplished my first goal in coming here and that was to see how Lee's doing." Temari replied with complete honesty. "My second reason is to talk with you two, since I might have to do the announcements on my own. The people won't wait around until Lee's healed to hear what is happening and what has happened. I told them they'd have to wait until the castle's finished being repaired, but if Lee's in no shape to attend the meeting by then, well, then I'll have to speak for the both of you."

Gaara thought this over for a moment, knowing everything she said to be the only logical way to go about things. "How long until the castle is repaired?" Gaara asked.

"About a week or so, maybe a bit longer if we're lucky. They have to completely replace two walls, while making sure no other walls cave in. It all depends on how many workers there are. Right now I have the minimum amount, but enough so that we don't arouse suspicions. If anyone knew we were trying to postpone the meeting they'd be furious." Temari replied, but with no sound of worry in her voice.

"But as long as I don't have to stand, I could just sit with you guys as the announcements are made." Lee propositioned.

Temari sighed and replied, "We'll see."

"Tell me, what are these announcements to be?" Gaara asked, having been left out of all information and happenings outside of Lee's room for the past several days.

"Well, since many people witnessed you while we were fighting your secret has practically been revealed. It's hard to keep up the charade of you being female once they've seen you without a shirt on."

"And their response to that is?" Gaara asked, not caring but wanting to know.

"Well, most are too shocked with the sudden appearance and defeat of the demon. Awes-stricken, they seem to be over looking the lie we've been telling them. For now, that is. By the time the meeting is held they'll all be in an uproar about it."

"Ah, Temari-san, how do you tend to calm them?" Lee asked, hoping she would have an answer. She gave him a knowing smile, having searched for an answer to this question for the past few days.

"You know of most of the tales about Sabaku, right?" Temari paused, and continued when Lee nodded. "Well after the first ruler perished, and awhile after the first oracle, there was a second oracle. This is usually untold of, since no one but one of the unnamed princesses witnessed it. But I checked, and there is documentation of an oracle coming to the castle to speak with a princess about twenty-five years ago. That was actually about the time documentation and recordings of events started, so we're lucky."

"I'm not familiar with it, can you tell us what this particular tale entails that will help with the current situation?" Gaara asked, and Lee nodded, not knowing what she spoke of, either.

"Well, everyone knows the first oracle spoke of calamity if the land to was be ruled by a male. The second oracle, though, supposedly spoke of an 'impossible love' that should right the calamity. And if that doesn't describe what has happened, I don't know what will." Temari then smiled again, this time with no ulterior motive, at the two boys.

"Then… Gaara can rule as a male and we don't have to break out engagement?" Lee responded merrily, only to correct himself. "That is, if Gaara still wants to hold to our agreement." Lee almost whispered, afraid of rejection. He knew that if Gaara could have anyone, he might not choose him. He'd forgotten one important thing, though, and that was the fact that Gaara had already told him that Lee was his only choice. Even if he could've had anyone, he'd have chosen Lee every time.

"If I were to choose between you or ruling the kingdom the obvious choice would be you, I wouldn't even have to think." Gaara replied, making a note to remind Lee of the passion he felt towards the knight later.

"That's good to know, since you won't have to choose. I know you also must be happy knowing you won't have to dress as a woman any longer. Luckily Kankuro never threw his old clothes out. But I have to admit, I'll miss seeing you dressed as a woman." Temari joked, laughing a bit.

"As will I." Lee replied, smiling. "Though, you look good no matter what you wear."

Gaara looked at the beaming boy, seeing Lee's face blush at his own comment. Gaara lightened his expression, but couldn't tell if it was quite a smile yet. He'd been having trouble smiling at all, as of late.

"As for the other topics to be discussed, they're much easier to explain. Since Kankuro and Kiba never had a proper engagement announcement, that'll be done. We'll also explain fully about the demon. Everything else will probably just be basic questions asked by the people. But, you know, Gaara, there is one benefit to having that demon sealed up inside you." Temari said, her grin now mischievous.

"And that would be?" Gaara asked, not able to see anything good coming for his inner demon.

"I though it was just a rumor, but I verified it with the elders. A vessel carrying a demon, especially one of such power as the one in you, can procreate whether they are female or male. You can decide on whether or not you want to tell the people of the prospect of having an heir to the throne." Temari, still grinning, stood to leave. "And with that, I leave you." She was out of the room and chuckling a bit down the corridor. The thought of a pregnant Gaara was enough to send Temari into a fit of giggles despite her heavy workload.

Still struck by Temari's last statement, Lee finally stammered, "Procreate? As in having a baby?" His face suddenly flushed a bright shade of red.

Gaara's inner demon laughed at the statement, for the same reasons Temari had been laughing earlier. He was now hoping his vessel would decide to have a child; it'd be a painful and priceless experience.

Gaara sat thinking to himself, not letting Shukaku's thoughts bother him. He turned to Lee, and with the first real smile he'd experienced in days and said, "It'd have the perfect eyebrows."

**XXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Because my notes on DA described it best, I'll just repost them here:

xD Oh gawd, did I really post that? Yeah I did. I intended to get a lot more done with this chapter, but that last sentence was too good a stopping point. And no, this is not the last chapter. There is an epilogue and a side story. At the very least. I might put a few more chapters in here, because I might want to do Gaara's and Kankuro's weddings. And with enough requests, I'll also throw in Temari's for good measure. I definetly want to do my side story, which focuses more on Kiba x Kankuro and Sasuke x Naruto. (Which there has been none of thus far, muahahahahaha)

So review! Because the more reviews I get the more chapters I add to this thing before I cut it off! (If no one reviews I'll take it as a 'We don't want chapters, just get it over with!')


	23. Don't Assume

Chapter 23: Don't Assume

After the battle everyone who was injured was rushed into the castle to await medical attention. Kankuro, not being very injured at all, decided to help with the transportation of the hurt knights. He ran towards them, and upon seeing his fiancé as one of the men needing assistance, went over to him.

"Kiba, are you all right?" Kankuro asked, concerned and already moving his arms under his fiancé so he could carry him inside.

"Ow, ah, I think I'm broken." Kiba reply through clenched teeth as Kankuro picked him up. Kankuro quickly scanned his body to see where it was hurt the most. He saw that Kiba was profusely bleeding from his right arm and made sure to handle it with care.

"It'll be fine. I'll make sure of it." Kankuro replied, knowing the instant he set Kiba down onto a bed he'd go fetch some medical supplies and bandage the wounds himself. He was trained, as the head of the army, in various medical techniques. If Kiba's arm were indeed broken, he'd fix him a split for it to heal on.

Kiba looked up at the determined gaze on Kankuro's features. Kankuro cared for him, it was obvious, and this thought made Kiba smile despite the pain. They were in the castle and down the hall where the knights resided much too quickly. Kiba had enjoyed being held in those muscular arms. He was set on a bed in an empty knight's room, Kankuro careful about setting him down correctly.

Kankuro rushed to the door, turning to look at Kiba before he left, "I'll get the supplies and treat your wounds in a moment." Kankuro said as he left, Kiba giving him a small pained smile and nodding in recognition at his words. Kankuro rushed to a storage room were everything he needed was, swiftly grabbing the supplies and heading back towards where he'd left Kiba. He set his arm full of supplies down on the small table next to the bed. He moved to Kiba's side, looking over Kiba's body once more before going towards Kiba's injured arm.

"This looks like it's the most damaged. Hold still." Kankuro instructed as he took a small knife from where it had resided on his belt and began to cut the arm of Kiba's uniform off with it. Slowly, he removed the soiled piece of cloth from the still bleeding arm. Taking one look at the exposed flesh confirmed Kankuro's suspicions. Kiba's arm was indeed broken, but not too badly. It'd heal, given time and proper care, so Kankuro let out a sigh of relief.

"This will hurt, but you're going to be fine." Kankuro reassured him as he grabbed the washcloth off of the table. He wiped most of the blood off with ease, trying not to press too hard. He then set the cloth directly over the wound and applied pressure to try and stop the bleeding. After a moment the bleeding slowed and Kankuro replaced the cloth with bandages. He wrapped them tightly around the wound, but was careful. The wound was on Kiba's forearm, luckily not on his elbow, or it would've been much harder. Once Kiba's forearm was completely bandaged Kankuro set the bandages in place. He fashioned a splint and a sling, and helped Kiba place his arm correctly in it. After he had the sling's strap in place he moved back, motioning for Kiba to sit up.

"It looks okay. Is there anything else bothering you?" Kankuro asked, looking up into Kiba's face, searching it for any more injuries.

"Well…" Kiba started, trying to contain his mischievous smile.

"Where? Show me if you can't think of the words." Kankuro replied, which made Kiba's inward smile widen. He motioned for Kankuro to move closer, which he did, concern apparent on his face. Kankuro hovered over him, bent over so that their faces were almost even. Kiba promptly used his unharmed hand to grab the back of Kankuro's head and brought their lips together in a chaste kiss before he let go of the dark brown hair so Kankuro could move back away from the surprising boy. He was dumbfounded for a moment and just gazed down at his smiling fiancé.

"Thank you." Kiba said simply, Kankuro still at a loss. Kankuro, twenty years of age, just realized this was his first kiss. In all of his twenty years he'd been too busy to slow down and get involved with anyone like that. Kiba was just of legal age, as he had learned, eighteen. This was surely not his first kiss, too? Kankuro was suddenly aware of the heat coming from his face.

"Never been kissed?" Kiba asked, almost as if he could read Kankuro's mind. No, he couldn't read minds, but Kankuro's face said it all. Kankuro nodded, and Kiba continued to smile. "Me too." He stated, a small bit of crimson staining his face.

"Well…" Kankuro started to say, but he had no idea of what to reply with. He couldn't think of any words to say, but somewhere inside himself he felt the urge to repeat earlier actions. He moved a little closer, and when seeing no protest from Kiba, brought their lips together once more. They moved their mouths over one another's lips, their breath mingling and their senses zoning in on these small actions. The feel, smell, and taste were all being imprinted in their memories as they kept their faces connected. Kankuro put his hands awkwardly on Kiba's shoulders while Kiba placed his uninjured arm back behind Kankuro's head. In a moment Kankuro had his tongue against Kiba's lips. Knowing by instinct or something else Kiba let his own tongue slide out to meet Kankuro's in midair before the dived into each other's mouths.

"Ahem." A voice distinctly said, obviously standing at the door looking in on the 'lovely' scene. The couple quickly parted and turned towards the 'intruder.' Of course, the door was left open so they couldn't exactly be intruding. It was Temari, who was getting tired of walking in on things like this. Kankuro had the strange feeling of finally knowing what his little brother had felt like all those times he'd been interrupted.

"Well, you two don't look like you're dying, so I'll go check on the others. But don't let all the blood rush to your face like that, it can't be good for you." Temari said before leaving.

Kankuro and Kiba turned to look at one another, Kankuro sporting a shy smile while Kiba's grin was more playful. Kankuro cleared his throat and adjusted his collar nervously. Kiba continued to look at him with that smile on his face.

"If we were not already to be married, I would ask to court you." Kiba finally said, not helping Kankuro in cooling down his complexion.

"If you were not already my fiancé I would do anything to make it so." Kankuro replied, relishing the moment. He decided that in this, love was a factor. He hadn't expected it, he'd assumed there might have been love, but it would have been without passion. Here, now, he found himself wrapped in passion. He would've never guessed that he could fall for another man, but with Kiba, he was learning to never assume anything.

Their moment was cut short by Kankuro being summoned by other knights, helping wherever he could. He made sure Kiba rested, and promised he'd be back as soon as possible. Kiba sighed in disappointment but sat back on the bed anyway. But when Kankuro came back awhile later he found Kiba asleep. Kiba had never been good at waiting; he was one who easily became bored.

They didn't get much time alone together after that, everything becoming horribly rushed inside the castle walls. This particular situation was one that had been previously experienced by the main couple of this story; the quick kisses in the hallways and such. Once everything was settled around the capital, though, they knew they'd have more time. After the public ceremony in a little more than a week everything was supposedly supposed to calm down. Though, with the weddings needing to be planned no one really expected that to be true. There were many things that needed to be done, Gaara not even have had his coronation. Though, the kingdom was tense on that subject. But Kankuro had heard Temari's argument. The people of Sabaku were superstitious, and not one to go against fortunes. He was confident that his brother would be accepted as the heir to the throne. He was downtrodden, though, because he'd now be accepted as male. No more laughing at his little brother in a dress, he'd already given Gaara his old clothing to wear while his new wardroom was being made.

A few days after Lee had awoken and been attended to Kankuro found time to go see his brother and the injured knight, bringing Kiba along with him. They entered the room after knocking; having a new found respect for other's privacy.

"Hey, Kankuro!" Lee said smiling, though Kankuro noticed the pain in his expression. He saw that they'd arrived while some woman was attending to Lee's broken legs. Kankuro had heard the news of the strange woman arriving here for Lee, saying she'd help him to walk again. Seeing the progress in Lee's injuries Kankuro believed it, she seemed to work miracles.

"Hello Lee, you seem to be doing better." Kankuro replied, giving the knight a smile of his own. Kiba simply waved and bowed, since they were both of higher status than he was. Lee shook his head at the gesture though, despite the makeshift neck brace that was supposed to keep him from moving his head like that.

"Ah, Kiba, please drop the formalities, I'm sure Gaara doesn't mind and it just makes me uncomfortable." Lee said through gritted teeth as the pink haired woman finished applying her medicine and started to re-bandage his legs. It was obvious how much his legs being exposed to the air irritated his wounds.

Kiba nodded in reply, Kankuro looking over at his sullen brother. Gaara's eyes were focused on his lover's legs, staring at them with such intensity it was as if he thought he could heal them just by staring at them long enough. There was silence for a few moments as the bizarre woman finished with her work on Lee's legs.

"I'll be back again later to check on you, if not I'll be here tomorrow to apply your medicine, Lee." Sakura said gathering her things and heading for the doorway. It was apparent that they weren't going to discuss anything while she was in the room.

"Thank you for helping to fix Lee, I'm sure we're all eternally grateful." Kankuro commented before Sakura got out the door. She smiled, always in the mood for accepting thanks.

"Happy to help." Sakura replied simply before exiting and shutting the door. Gaara finally looked over from Lee and at his brother.

"To what occasion to we owe this visit, brother?" Gaara asked, wanting to get right to the point. He didn't like waltzing around the issue; he'd rather take hold of it from the start. This was probably why so many called him blunt.

"I came to check up on Lee," Kankuro replied, the words sounding very familiar, almost the exact same thing Temari had said to them the day before. "Also," he finally added, and they'd all known he wasn't finished, "and more importantly, I came to see how you're fairing, little brother." Kankuro added 'little brother' to humor himself. Gaara calling him 'brother' formally would probably be the closest thing to 'big brother' he'd ever hope to hear. Kankuro wished they'd had a relationship like that, but they'd never really gotten close, never had the chance to.

"Lee's in better shape than he was and I seem to have no physical ailments." Gaara replied.

"I can see that, but how are feeling, considering to the demon?" Kankuro asked, a little reluctant to talk about the monster trapped inside of Gaara.

"I'm fine, a little stressed, but other than that, fine." Gaara stated, his voice almost shaking, but staying monotone.

"Then why haven't you been sleeping?" Kankuro asked, genuinely concerned.

"How would you know my sleeping habits?" Gaara shot him a wary look, but it faded into his normal mask after a moment. "It shouldn't matter, it's my problem, and I'll deal with it." Gaara stated easily enough. But really, he wanted nothing more than to sleep now. It'd been days, almost a week, since he'd been able to rest his uneasy mind. Whenever he got too close to slumber the monster's figure would appear before him, looking just as it had when it'd ravaged him. That made him stay awake, no matter how tired he was. His eyes would shoot open and he'd bolt upright if he'd been in any sort of resting position.

"No, Gaara, _we_ will deal with it." Lee said, somehow moving his arm enough to grab a hold of Gaara's hand that rested on the bed. Gaara looked at Lee like a drowning man who'd finally spotted the shoreline in the distance. Gaara wanted nothing more than to hold Lee at that moment, let his woes ease by having contact with the one who helped him to keep his wits about him. Maybe, when those arms were healed and could hold him close, together, could they will the demon away? At least banish it to the far corners of his mind. Gaara couldn't stand how much Shukaku was pestering him now. At the moment he was muttering something along the lines of '…after he gets well and you two fuck like rabbits you could have the child, and just to make things worse I'll break free and eat it for breakfast one morning. Of course, you two will have no problem making more…'

"Okay, I've been quiet long enough, will you two please stop staring at each other like that while I'm still in here? I expect it from Lee, but it's just a little unsettling to see you look at him like that, Gaara." Kankuro voiced, tempted to roll his eyes, but stopping himself. Gaara swiftly shot a glare at him, and was about to voice his own distaste with his brother when he remembered something that'd been bothering him.

"I'll ignore that comment for the time being. But while you're here I'd like to ask you something." Gaara looked at his brother to see him nod, and then continued, "Why was I never informed about your and Temari's abilities?" Gaara questioned quietly, desperately wanting to know the answer. They'd hid something like that from him; he couldn't help but feel betrayed. Frowns adorned all of their faces as the air around them turned sour. There was a serious pause before Kankuro could even begin to answer his brother's question.

"Well, I won't try and make any excuses." Kankuro started, now very uncomfortable. "Our, abilities, as you put, didn't come to us as naturally as yours did. Though we both had innate talent, we were trained into our crafts. Elders, craft users, found out about our dormant talent and came to help us practice our arts. We've never once thought we'd have to use them, but we received the training nonetheless. What happened with Shukaku, that was unexpected. We were going to tell you after everything was settled, but as you know, things still aren't 'settled.' I'm sorry if we earned your doubt. It had never come up as important issue before, we though we'd have more time to explain." Kankuro stopped talking, he had no more to say, and he didn't know what to say now.

"We were all deceived into thinking there would be more time." Lee started, breaking the awkward silence, " More time before things got complicated, less time for things to finally be resolved. And time was almost completely cut away from us. But, luckily, there is now going to be time. Time for everything, for us to heal, to grow, to wed, and to live. It's not the same, but now we'll make it. The future was almost ripped away from us, but now there's still a bright future ahead of us. I know it." Lee finished, doing his best to smile at all of them. What he had said came straight from his heart, and it had touched all of their hearts. Not because it was overly profound or anything, but because of how genuine his words were.

They all thought this over, for it was true. They'd almost lost everything, and they'd still have to fight a bit more before everything could be comfortable, 'settled.' But now there was something to fight for, look forward to. Had anyone died, it wouldn't have been the same, because death leaves no chances. Here, now, they were all alive. And that was something to be whole-heartedly grateful for.

"Lee…" Gaara tried to say, but he couldn't say anything more. He knew how close he had been to losing Lee, losing himself. Maybe no one else knew how close he'd been to being lost forever, how close he was still to being lost to his own inner demon. But, had he been one to cry, he would have. He couldn't say in words what he was feeling, relief, joy, woe, appreciation, and something indescribable. The best way he could think to put it was like he could finally see a way out, like he might be able to make it through everything. Like this would probably be the darkest part, maybe, just maybe, things were only going to get better.

Lee looked at Gaara as he uttered his name, seeing the emotion in his eyes. Lee smiled at him and nodded his head at Gaara's unspoken words. Hope, that's what Lee could finally see in Gaara's eyes. Lee muttered, "I love you, Gaara." Rubbing his thumb over the hand he still had a hold of. Gaara just couldn't stand it, seeing Lee like this, being afraid to touch him. He couldn't wait until Lee was well again.

Gaara felt a hand on his shoulder to see that Kankuro had come to stand in front of where he sat. Kiba hadn't followed him, but waited patiently from where he'd been standing all along, at the foot of Lee's bed. He wasn't good at saying things at times like these, so he kept quite.

"Gaara, do you understand? Are you angry?" Kankuro asked, hating that he and his sister had hid something so big from their little brother. Gaara looked up at him, nodded, then shook his head.

"I understand, and I was never angry." Gaara replied simply, and Kankuro returned his hand to his side, giving a sigh of relief.

"Good, I'm sure Temari will be glad she wasn't the one who had to explain things for once." Kankuro walked over to stand beside Kiba once again. "Speaking of Temari, I'm sure she's wondering where we are." Kankuro glanced at them nervously.

"Oh, what are you two supposed to be doing right now?" Lee asked.

"Helping." Kiba said, shifting his weight, joining Kankuro in his nervousness.

"I'm sure she won't mind if we explain to her that we were just visiting you guys for a moment. But still, we should be on our way." Kankuro said, more to himself and Kiba.

"Leaving so soon? Well, see you later then." Lee replied politely as they gave a quick nod and left the room, shutting the door behind them.

Gaara looked over a Lee and they shared a long, almost painful look. Gaara was so full of reserves, he wanted so many things at this moment but denied himself of all of them. Lee finally closed his eyes and sighed.

"I won't break, I promise, Gaara." Lee said, giving him a lopsided smile. "So come here, lie down next to me." He did his best to scoot over a bit, not needing to make much room for Gaara's small frame to fit next to him. Hesitantly, Gaara moved to lie next to him, shifting a bit until they were both comfortable. Lee couldn't easily move any part of his body besides his head, so he settled on keeping their hands interlocked. He nuzzled the side of Gaara's head, letting himself place affectionate kisses along the side of Gaara's face. Gaara let his heavy eyelids finally shut, and with Lee occupying his mind, he was able to keep himself from seeing his demon. Relieved, Gaara quickly fell into the first stages of sleep, having been deprived for so long. He was used to running on little sleep, maybe even just resting his eyes, but he hadn't been able to do that until this very moment. Lee soon followed; needing al the healing sleep he could manage. No one dared disturb the scene, had anyone walked in there at that time they quickly and quietly walked away.

People were healing, repairs were being made, and everyone was doing their best to restore things to how they had once been. Of course, it would never really be the same, but nothing ever is. Within the week before the announcements Lee made much progress in overcoming his injuries. By the time the castle was fixed his right arm was completely healed, his left in a small sling, and his legs almost well enough for him to start and try to walk on them. Thanks to Sakura, he was recovering quite nicely.

The public gathering was prepared without a hitch, and on the day of Lee was feeling well enough to attend, therefore Gaara was able to attend. Temari still made their announcements for them, but it was better to have them there to reassure the people. It also let them see how much Lee had gone through to protect his kingdom, his fiancé.

Temari explained their situation just as she had to Gaara, only elaborating wherever she could. She told the tales, wove the story, and then stated the hard facts. By the end of it the crowd was cheering for them, not only for Temari, but also for Gaara. It seemed Temari had been right, the people fully supported him. It surprised him; he hadn't expected things to be so easy. He hadn't even had to dress in gowns for this public gathering, since his secret was already out. He was himself, and they still supported him. He felt a great sense of national pride for the first time in his life; it swelled in him, filling him until he felt he would surely burst. Shrugging off his demon, he knew now that he would protect these people, his people, he would become their leader.

At this epiphany he stood to give a small impromptu speech of his own. "Thank you, all of you, words cannot express how relieved I am to have your support. I promise, I will dedicate myself to you, the countrymen, and furthermore, my country." Gaara nodded to acknowledge the end of his statement, and was not allowed to take his seat until the cheers finally died down.

Temari went on to explain the other points of interest, Gaara's coronation, marriage dates and such. At the end they expected questions, but instead received more triumphant cheers from the people, expressing their jubilation. After all the hardships that the castle had suffered it had become very pessimistic. But to be greeted by such utter devotion from its people, it was stunning. They couldn't help but all stand and receive the happiness being emitted from the crowd. Lee even stood with the help of Gaara and his beloved Gai-sensei, who had attended to support Lee physically. After it finally died down and Temari dismissed everyone they traveled back into the castle for dinner together again. After what seemed like years, they were finally here in the dinning hall once more, like before it all had happened. Even the nobles that attended seemed pleasant, despite the contestant chatter.

At one point in the night, Lee turned to Temari and asked, "If Gaara's to be crowned King, then what am I to be?" Lee was truly confused about this. He'd tried to figure it out himself, but he had no idea.

"Don't worry, it's happened before, not here but other places." Temari replied, and took another merry drink before finishing her answer. She smiled while saying, "You'll be crowned Gaara's partner and royal Prince of Sabaku."

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Ahhhhhhh. Dx Sorry about my being so lazy, here's the chapter. This is _technically_ the last chapter of the actual fanifction. Because it's 'From Footman to Prince,' right? But of course I'll have a few more chapters for side stories, weddings and stuff. I'll get them out, sooner than later, hopefully. I've got to get this done before I post the rest of the stuff I'm working one! Okay, here, thank you so much for reading. I've been so lazy, I'm sorry!


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